Sealed by Naomi Booth (Dead Ink Publishers, £9.99 paperback)

This book is not for the faint hearted, squeamish or anyone prone to hypochondria. It is however for anyone who enjoys a powerful, thought provoking end-of-the-world-is-nigh style novel. Set in Australia, in the not so distant future, signs of doom are everywhere. The government is rehousing swathes of people into “temporary camps” to avoid fire and plague. Information is scant on the true scale of disaster but noticeably only the hardiest plants and animals are surviving. Amidst all this, Alice and her boyfriend Peter uproot from the city to start a life on the edge of the outback. They thought they were escaping to a better life but soon realise the small community they arrive in is swiftly falling apart. Fear and distrust is everywhere. Booth creates a powerful sense of imminent danger whilst letting us in on the events that have lead up to this point in Alice’s personal story. There are passages in this novel you will never forget (though you might want to) as it gets very gruesome at its climax, but that is what I liked about this book. It is unflinching in its account of events and refuses to let the reader look away. Surprisingly, it carries a message of hope and survival. Naomi Booth is a lecturer in Creative Writing at York St Johns and this is her second novel.

She will be appearing at the York Literature Festival Launch event on March 15th. Visit https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/0R11C71xxiE6Mm7uWnQey for details.

Philippa Morris