26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Rainstorm of Character and Idea, September 22, 2002
This review is from: In the Wet (Paperback)
This book was written in 1952, just after Queen Elizabeth took the throne, and is an odd look at what Nevil thought would happen to the British Commonwealth, and specifically to the concept of Royalty, under the influence of post-WWII economic and political pressures, over a period of 30 years from the time of the book's writing. As is typical for Nevil, the book has no bad guys, no sharp dramatic tension, but rather some fine character portraits, a properly told love story, and some very exacting insights into social and political structures.
The book is actually told in two separate pieces. One is a framing story of an elderly Church of England pastor newly assigned to a rather remote area of the Australian outback and his efforts to minister to a flock that is literally spread over an area larger than many states. Nevil's description of the area and people in this area both during the dry season and 'in the wet' is startlingly full of life, a fine portrait that does much to illustrate some of Nevil's social commentary, which creeps in almost from the side, rarely directly presented. But from this everyday world, we move to a totally different one as our priest, suffering from malaria induced fevers and hallucinations, is forced by circumstance to minister to an old, dying drunkard, Stevie. In trying to learn about Stevie's past, we enter the world of the future, as Stevie's half-incoherent words combine with the priest's inner hallucinations to form the story of David Anderson, an Australian pilot chosen to fly the personal aircraft of the Queen.
This vision of the future shows an England of near total socialism, sadly depopulated by emigration to other Commonwealth countries, poorly ruled and near bankrupt, questioning the value of supporting the royal family. Opposing this are the pictures of Canada and Australia as vibrant, growing economies, and where one of the key differences in government is the idea of individuals being able to earn more than the basic one vote, available to everyone, by education, military service, public service, travel, and by special dispensation (i.e. 'The Queen's Favor). Supposedly this form of enfranchisement has led to better, more efficient government - whether it really would is an obvious topic for debate.
What is intriguing about this is just where Nevil got events right and where his vision diverged from what really happened. Little things like his prediction that Christmas Island would be turned over to Australian governance in 1961 (actual was 1958) and his portrait of a middle-aged Queen Elizabeth (startlingly accurate) and major things like his prediction of England's economic sharp decline and turn towards socialism show just how in tune with the times Nevil was. At the same time, his predictions on technology were sadly off the mark, the 'security' procedures surrounding the Queen are almost laughably inadequate when seen from today's viewpoint, and he took the problems of England too far, not foreseeing its eventual recovery from losing its empire.
Lying atop all of this is a finely told love story between David and Rosemary, a secretary to the Queen. Nevil's characterization is always very strong, and his ability to show a slowly developing attraction is highly realistic and satisfying. And just under the surface is some commentary on issues of race, as David is one-quarter abo, and commonly goes by his nickname of 'Nigger'. Nevil is clearly pointing out the invalidity of judging people by race, and by extension he makes the point that all 'class' distinctions are artificial and, in the long run, detrimental. In presenting this point, he shows some of the treatment of the 'servant' class in ways that may offend some modern sensibilities, but his portrayal is very accurate for the times.
The last portion of the book gets into a metaphysics where all religions have a validity and circles back to the book's starting point, providing much food for thought well beyond the parameters of his envisioned future.
Each of the above items adds to the total of this very strong book, a book that has been sadly neglected and out of print for a long time. It is very encouraging to see most of Nevil's works being brought back into print in the last couple of years, as almost all of his works are deserving of a read, this one especially so.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An unbelievably prophetic vision of the global future, May 10, 1998
By A Customer
Nevil Shute captured some wonderful ideas about balancing the power of governance. In his new utopian community, created as a result of the horrific expense of maintaining the "royals and their lifestyle" should be explored for implementation in the U.S. By Shute's plan every man and woman received a birthright vote. However, you could add votes, up to a maximum of 4 (total votes to be cast = 5) by the following: (1) if you owned property -- I believe this was a requirement in early history. (2) If you completed a certain level of education -- presumably public high school (3) If you served your country in the Armed Forces, and (4) reserved for very special situations, like the Congressional Medal of Honor or the Nobel Peace Prize. With all of our computer technology this seems to make great sense to vest the governance of our country with those who have, mostly by their own efforts, contributed more than just being born and having a birthright vote.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strange Yet Compelling, December 7, 2000
Nevil Shute has the most emotionally compelling writing styles I've ever encountered. "In the Wet" is a odd and lovely example of this. Without ever being maudling, in a quiet, understated way Shute weaves a beautiful combination of feeling and character.
"In the Wet" takes place in the Australian Outback. One can feel the heat, the dust, then the rain and the mud, as well as vividly seeing and being part of the scenery. The story is that of a Church of England parson well past his prime running a church in a very remote and widespread area. He's a practical man, acknowledging that "wrong isn't always wrong" in the Outback. He encounters a dying man who takes him on a trip through reincarnation, telling the tale of the life the man will live his next time around.
As science fiction the book is severely outdated, yet--I've found this works well with the bomb classics like Shute's "On the Beach"--if you read it more as alternate history rather than a look to the future (the 'future' is the 1970s in this case) you'll be able to enjoy the wonderful writing, well-rounded characters, and the solidly crafted plot.
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