James Bradley, Landfall

- Celebrated Australian literary author James Bradley has written a highly dramatic and very intense story about a police investigation into a missing child in Sydney, a city days away from being hit by a huge cyclone, the third in four years. 

- It's set decades into the future when the climate catastrophe is upending societies around the world. And as Bradley makes clear, disastrous weather events are not the only dimension to this crisis. Social cohesion is also being ripped apart. Anger, resentment, and the hatred of authority are dominant and destructive. 

- Sea levels have risen dramatically and have destroyed densely populated coastal areas. Houses, apartment blocks, shops, schools - all are in ruins. The wealthy can move into safer areas but the majority are stranded and unemployed, and are finding it difficult to cope with the dilapidation all around them. The heat is unrelenting, day and night. Daytime temperatures are frequently in the late forties and early fifties. The aged, in particular, are very vulnerable.  

- Bradley also addresses the refugee issue. The weather has become unbearable in many nations. Australia is seen as an attractive destination. Interestingly most names of the main characters in the novel are Indian, Indonesian, or Middle Eastern. Sadiya Azad, the leading detective on the case to find the missing young girl, Casey, is of Bangladeshi origin. 

- One Indonesian teenager's 'boat people' trip to Australia is described in horrific detail. Many of the refugees die on the way and their bodies are tossed overboard without ceremony. Abusive and contemptible border force officers with guns confront them on the beach when they land and they’re herded into camps. The teenager eventually escapes and becomes central to the story's resolution. 

- Digital technology is also at the forefront. AI ‘assistants’ are as common as smartphones. Unfortunately CCTV is not everywhere and videos still frequently lack sufficient clarity and quality.  

- The police investigation into the missing girl is described in rich detail. There are suspects and they are questioned relentlessly, including corrupt real estate developers, convicted child molesters, and low level desperates. Bradley portrays all these characters vividly, as he does the two police detectives leading the investigation. They are dedicated and work day and night, despite family issues. 

- When the cyclone hits Bradley provides a stunning description of it. He is a writer of extraordinary talent, and his deep understanding of the climate catastrophe we face has enabled him to write this ambitious and powerful novel.