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An interesting premise but let down by an excess of expositional dialogue which seems clumsy and the narration isn't great either. This set up a certain expectation about content and especially pacing, which is where the novel let me down. I didn't really like the main character either, and wasn't particularly interested in the mysterious island. The novel is set in a decaying world beset by floods and mass extinctions, where the wealthy live in protected villages designed by Pemberley, the man who now claims to have a plan to save the world.
A girl in Tokyo entertains her sister by summoning clouds of dust and making them dance, in Ordinary Monsters. Our questions are, eventually, answered and we sense just how close Ben comes to a very different story. Part way through the first act of this explicitly three-act SF novel, I was finding things distinctly depressing.Perhaps the point is that it does not matter exactly where the story happens, what is important is what happens in the story and why. However, the divide between rich and poor has increased, again quite recognisably, with the ordinary people living in cramped conditions in the overcrowded cities, while the wealthy live in luxury in closed villages outside.
Quite honestly a brilliant book which, like all the best dystopian fiction, makes us question our own world by showing us another world that is going slightly awry in ways not dissimilar to our own. The first two thirds were great - the story is set in a black mirror-esque not so distant future where older, richer inhabitants lived in beautiful gated 'villages' served by poorer, younger service workers who live in settlements attached to (but not in) the villages. Ben meets many of the island’s inhabitants, learns many aspects of life there, and sees much that impresses him. stars, but I can definitely see how it's a matter of preference (for the most part), so don't take my rating into account, if you're thinking to pick this up.
It’s set in the imaginary village of Gyrford, where generations of Smiths have served as farriers, which in this case means not simply shoeing horses, but making iron charms for protection and advising on the best ways of dealing with the “good neighbours”.
His fiancée, Cara, goes off on an assignment to work for a mysterious wealthy man who has set up a community on an island, John Pemberley. The journey to the island is a harsh and challenging one and when he does arrive, Ben discovers that the community on the island is a secretive one and they do not welcome uninvited visitors. The most divisive part of The Sanctuary we can imagine other readers having is Hunter Murray’s style of writing. In his spare time he performs in the award-winning comedy show Austentatious, which plays in London’s West End and around the UK. Ben resolves to mend his relationship by travelling to Sanctuary Rock, however, it proves to be a treacherous journey.A charismatic billionaire has created gated communities where the rich are tended by the poor working outside their doors. And when he arrives in Sir John’s idyllic paradise, things spiral into a series of even more sinister twists and turns. Pemberley is a cross between cult leader and the kind of billionaire that we are increasingly seeing in real life who use their ridiculous wealth to carry out extraordinary experiments, with no real democratic or governmental control over them. Ben behaves like an idiot, and the plot relies on a certain amount of contrived suspense, but this is a smoothly written, thought-provoking tale about ageing societies and wealth inequality, with an effective shocker of an ending. Cleverly written and, although meant to be in the future, seemed almost relevant to the present times.
You know how they say that when you fall in love, all the cheesy cliches about love suddenly make sense? Join us here at What We Reading as we put it under the spotlight with our The Sanctuary book review! But listen, that aside, I see what Murray is trying to do, the questions he's asking his reader to consider, and I respect it. The city is never named, neither even is the country, but it feels like it could be London, and therefore the country England. I don’t want to share spoilers, so suffice it to say that all at The Sanctuary is far from how it seems, and Benjamin’s landing a commission to paint Pemberley provides him with a prime opportunity to investigate.By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. When dealing with complex issues, having the ability to empathise with characters on all sides gives a story so many more dimensions. His fiancée Cara has been living on the remote island of Sanctuary Rock, the property of millionaire philanthropist Sir John Pemberley, and now she has decided to break off their engagement and stay there for good. So many fantasies focus on isolated individuals who leave home to seek their destiny; this one stands out for its depiction of a family deeply connected to a community, helping those who need it the most, regardless of the danger to themselves. There are some interesting themes about capitalism, pollution, extinction, technology, and mortality, but somehow not delivered in a heavy way.
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