In the Wet (Hardcover)

Hmmm...author wishes to tell of past or future and make politicised point therefrom. Problem - how to do this without breaking the emotional connection to the narrative of the present? Solution - make a character have a 'dream' of some kind.

I rolled my eyes - this device was becoming hackneyed (cf.'An Old Captivity', 'The Rainbow & The Rose' etc.) and one might have expected Shute to be a little more inventive with his literary devices. Nevertheless, it works and functions adequately as a means of establishing and maintaining a fluid connection between the two.

Well done, sir!

The book is actually told in two separate pieces. One is a framing story of an elderly Church of England pastor newly assigned to a rather remote area of the Australian outback and his efforts to minister to a flock that is literally spread over an area larger than many states. Nevil's description of the area and people in this area both during the dry season and 'in the wet' is startlingly full of life, a fine portrait that does much to illustrate some of Nevil's social commentary, which creeps in almost from the side, rarely directly presented. But from this everyday world, we move to a totally different one as our priest, suffering from malaria induced fevers and hallucinations, is forced by circumstance to minister to an old, dying drunkard, Stevie. In trying to learn about Stevie's past, we enter the world of the future, as Stevie's half-incoherent words combine with the priest's inner hallucinations to form the story of David Anderson, an Australian pilot chosen to fly the personal aircraft of the Queen.

This vision of the future shows an England of near total socialism, sadly depopulated by emigration to other Commonwealth countries, poorly ruled and near bankrupt, questioning the value of supporting the royal family. Opposing this are the pictures of Canada and Australia as vibrant, growing economies, and where one of the key differences in government is the idea of individuals being able to earn more than the basic one vote, available to everyone, by education, military service, public service, travel, and by special dispensation (i.e. 'The Queen's Favor). Supposedly this form of enfranchisement has led to better, more efficient government - whether it really would is an obvious topic for debate.

What is intriguing about this is just where Nevil got events right and where his vision diverged from what really happened. Little things like his prediction that Christmas Island would be turned over to Australian governance in 1961 (actual was 1958) and his portrait of a middle-aged Queen Elizabeth (startlingly accurate) and major things like his prediction of England's economic sharp decline and turn towards socialism show just how in tune with the times Nevil was. At the same time, his predictions on technology were sadly off the mark, the 'security' procedures surrounding the Queen are almost laughably inadequate when seen from today's viewpoint, and he took the problems of England too far, not foreseeing its eventual recovery from losing its empire.

Lying atop all of this is a finely told love story between David and Rosemary, a secretary to the Queen. Nevil's characterization is always very strong, and his ability to show a slowly developing attraction is highly realistic and satisfying. And just under the surface is some commentary on issues of race, as David is one-quarter abo, and commonly goes by his nickname of 'Nigger'. Nevil is clearly pointing out the invalidity of judging people by race, and by extension he makes the point that all 'class' distinctions are artificial and, in the long run, detrimental. In presenting this point, he shows some of the treatment of the 'servant' class in ways that may offend some modern sensibilities, but his portrayal is very accurate for the times.

The last portion of the book gets into a metaphysics where all religions have a validity and circles back to the book's starting point, providing much food for thought well beyond the parameters of his envisioned future.

Each of the above items adds to the total of this very strong book, a book that has been sadly neglected and out of print for a long time. It is very encouraging to see most of Nevil's works being brought back into print in the last couple of years, as almost all of his works are deserving of a read, this one especially so.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the novel is the "multiple vote", which, when it was mentioned at the last SF convention I attended, immediately provoked a half-hour debate. Democracy has been modified, leading to the possibility of earning additional votes in elections...

OK, so Shute didn't forsee the rise of republicanism in Australia and the Parti Quebecois in Canada. And television is mentioned exactly once, there's no satellite transmissions, and a lot of other similar difficulties. All the same, Shute provides an interesting political novel/love story for us.

I withhold a fifth star on this one because I don't find the character of David Anderson believable. This guy's supposed to be a quarter-Abo born in a ditch who came up through the ranks. He talks like an Oxford grad, and knows a fair number of polysyllables. Not only this, the quarter-Abo, discussing how the Queen should allocate her time if all was fair, discusses the proportion based on the overall population of the Commonwealth, and based on the white (!) population. Shute should have avoided these obvious howlers.