The Glad Shout by Alice Robinson

The Glad Shout is a novel that will shake many readers expectations of their future prospects. It portrays a potential future for many of us, especially those who live near the coast. The novel is set in 2045 after a massive storm has flooded Melbourne, destroying much of the housing and infrastructure, including power.

The story is about one family: Isobel, her three-year-old daughter Margaret, and Shane her husband. It is told almost exclusively from Isobel’s point of view. The family have just made their way out of the floodwaters to higher ground in a sports stadium. It could be the MCG but that is never made clear. It is supposed to be an evacuation centre but has limited supplies, limited staff and virtually no communication with the outside world.

The family sets up a tent in the muddy stadium field. They then wait to find out the extent of the damage to Melbourne and where they might eventually be relocated to. There is a lot of tension in the camp. As the novel is set in Australia, it fortunately lacks the American gun and gang culture. No one tries to take control with guns as would happen in many similar American novels. For the most part, the survivors still behave like they are part of a continuing society that has order to it.

In between the story of Isobel and her family’s attempts to survive, the novel explores her backstory. Isobel and her older brother, Josh, were brought up by their mother, Luna, a real estate agent. To Isobel, Luna seemed more concerned about having a house that looked like it belonged in a magazine photoshoot than being a caring mother. Isobel frequently escaped to stay with her bohemian grandmother who also lived in Melbourne. Her and Josh also frequently holidayed at their grandfather’s small farm.

Through the backstory we learn that Isobel has had an emotionally unfulfilling childhood. She longed for a mother who took more interest in her and her brother. We also see the creeping effect of climate change, and how it changed the character’s lives over the years.

The plight of internal climate change refugees is one of the themes of the novel. As climate change destroys the environment and the economy, more and more people are displaced. 

The novel is much more than a disaster story. It is about how a woman needs to take control for her family to survive while exploring her fears, desires, concerns for her child, and sense of abandonment, as well as her questioning whether she could have done more to prepare for the disaster and climate change.   

The story is written in first person and present tense, giving it a real urgency. It is very well-written as it immerses the reader in the main character’s life.

This is a fantastic novel that should scare climate change complacency out of many of its readers. It should have them asking if it is even possible to prepare for coming climate change disasters. It asks these questions while exploring a woman’s life and the effects of her family on it.