The Wall

John Lanchester's 'The Wall' is a fascinating novel which can be appreciated from a variety of angles. His dystopian vision of Great Britain's coastline surrounded by a wall and remparts to 'protect' the country from the 'Others' -- foreign refugees-- evokes the paranoia and xenophobia of Trump's America, one among many examples of contemporary isolationism. Lanchester manages to make his allegorical tale more universal by deftly demonstrating how the ordinary Everyman Kavanaugh initially finds a deep sense of purpose through the camaraderie and success in overcoming hardship and discomfort he experiences during the initial period of his two year mandatory recruitment as a wall Defender. 'The Wall' is a worthwhile cautionary tale set in a world not very different from our own where notions such as 'the truth' or even the 'predictable' quality of meteorology are called into question when our 'leaders' and earth's rising sea levels pose an incontrovertible threat to our existence. A welcome antidote to simplistic thinking : an indispensable read.