The Road to Winter

By Mark Smith,

Book cover of The Road to Winter

Book description

Since a deadly virus and the violence that followed wiped out his parents and most of his community, Finn has lived alone on the rugged coast with only his dog Rowdy for company.

He has stayed alive for two winters—hunting and fishing and trading food, and keeping out of sight…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Road to Winter as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

It’s a dystopian YA novel where the Australian landscape is beautifully rendered in all its glory and danger. It’s also a tightly written and intense page turner, when even quiet moments are infused with a sense of menace.

It has echoes of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, although this book is unmistakably Australian - right down to speculation around where our nation’s attitude to asylum seeks may lead us. It’s not as bleak as The Road (a book I admire), but Mark reminds us how easily our veneer of society could slip away in the wake of a catastrophic, world-changing event.…

Such a pleasure to find the Winter series, because Australian apocalyptic stories are few and far between. Set on the surf coast of Victoria, this book revels in the pristine scenery and the majesty of the ocean. You can almost smell the salt in the air.

Courageous and determined, teenager Finn lives alone with his patient dog Rowdy. Finn appreciates the harsh beauty of what’s left after the disaster, but he’s not blind to the awful injustices that flood in after the rule of law disappears. Finn shows an extraordinary capacity for love and care for the people around him,…

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