In the event of disaster, as the necessities and niceties of life disappear, would you put yourself and your needs ahead of those you love? Does our instinct to survive undercut the vestiges of polite society? Benjamin Warner tackles these issues in his first novel, Thirst.

Trapped in a traffic jam, Eddie is caught in the seemingly unending chaos caused by a mysterious disaster. All sources of water in and around the city seem to have evaporated amid intense and searing firestorms that came as quickly as they went, leaving devastation in their wake.

Eddie runs for his life and arrives home to find his wife missing and his neighbours unaware of the seriousness of the events that are about to unfold. He gathers as much water and juice as he can, stockpiling against the days ahead as he waits for his wife to come home. She finally arrives; she was with friends, trying to work out what had happened to the city and to her husband. Eddie also waits for the emergency services to arrive to help save everyone in need. The problem, however, is that no-one comes.

Left to forage for themselves among the ruins of the local supermarkets, roving groups of people seeking food and water are now the greatest threat as everyone tries to stay alive, even if it costs their friends and neighbours their lives. The harder Eddie tries to save himself and his wife, the greater the rift between them becomes as they confront, in the face of their impending doom, the things in their lives that had been buried under the facade of their happy suburban life. Things are not always greener on the other side of the fence after all.

A taut and compelling read, this novel steers the reader through the events while they escalate from concern and watchfulness for others to fear, anger and hostility as dwindling resources run out. An excellent debut novel.

Reviewed by David Johnson