Sixteen-year old Lalla has been born in a London that, at the “end of the world”, has become a dangerous, nightmarish city with a desperate population and decreasing resources. This ambitious debut is set in the near future, a time in which the earth’s oceans are reclaiming many lands, and anarchy strains at a precariously-held leash. But Lalla’s parents have been resourceful. They have procured a ship laden with supplies, and have chosen a group of people who will set sail, ark-like, in their quest to find a fruitful land. While her mother is the embodiment of patience and generosity, her father is megalomaniacal, to the point of endangering his family for the sake of his master plan. Lalla, the narrator, whines her way through the tale, unforgivably selfish and lacking in concern for those around her, despite how her life is being treasured and saved.
