First published 1990
Robin arrives in what remains of Bray, once a seaside resort south of Dublin. Nuclear reactor explosions have transformed Ireland into an ash-covered wasteland. Most of Britain lies destroyed. Western Europe has disappeared beneath rising waters, along with much of the Americas and Africa. Robin, a paleo-archaeologist from Sweden, leads an excavation team through the desolate landscape. Her companions include Karen, an irritable assistant, and two quirky volunteers named Karl and Jenny. All four come from Sweden, one of the few nations that survived the catastrophe through environmental wisdom and geographic fortune. As Robin digs through the buried remnants of Irish civilization, she confronts the magnitude of what humanity has lost. The excavation becomes more than scientific work. It transforms into a meditation on survival, loss, and the fragility of the world people once took for granted.
Genres: fiction, archaeology, 21st-century, apocalyptic
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Bray, Dublin, Ireland, Britain, Europe, Americas, Africa, Sweden
Period: 21st-century
256 pages · Paperback · Attic Press