
In March, I was sent a copy of ‘The Glad Shout’ by Alice Robinson by Affirm Press. As I had a newborn and was operating on little sleep I didn’t get a chance to read the book in its entirety until recently.
This wouldn’t have been a book I would have chosen to purchase however I was pleasantly surprised.
‘The Glad Shout’ PLOT:
“After a catastrophic storm destroys Melbourne, Isobel flees to higher ground with her husband and young daughter. Food and supplies run low, panic sets in and still no help arrives. To protect her daughter, Isobel must take drastic action”.
This book is an easy read which considering the subject matter surprised me. It really is a thought provoking and powerful novel. I found myself relating a lot to the main character, Isobel, asking myself, what would I do in that situation? Climate change is such a major issue at the moment that I found myself wondering how easily this novel could actually turn into reality.
I enjoy reading about strong women generally as I find so often male figures take the lead or fix the problems, so reading about the strength of the female characters while facing some of life’s hardest battles was quite refreshing. I also found the theme of motherhood quite relevant to me personally.
Robinson skillfully dropped key plot points throughout the story which I really enjoyed piecing together. There were times I didn’t understand why the characters were making the decisions they were, but understood when their background was explained further.
Do I recommend?
If you enjoy a book you can pick up and put down, ‘The Glad Shout’ may not be for you as I did find myself flicking back to double check what had happened. That could also be baby brain though.
While terrified at the thought of finding myself in a similar situation I did enjoy reading ‘The Glad Shout’.
Read other readers reviews of this book here, here and here.