After the Flood [Hardcover]

After the Flood is set 33 years after a all out nuclear war practically wipes out humanity and civilization. The story takes place in 2032, somewhere in Scandinavia. The narrator and main character in the story is Edvin. Born in a bomb shelter, and quite ignorant of the workings of the old world, the harelipped Edvin is a survivor. At the start of the novel, Edvin, is a 1st mate aboard a pirate ship. He is used by the captain and crew as a sexual object, and abused considerably. He is sent on a reconnaissance mission to a island for supplies, where he is then abandoned.

On the island Edvin meets Henry. Henry, who is dying of some sort of kidney discease (possibly brought on by a urinary tract infection) enslaves Edvin and uses him somewhat like a nurse. The relationship is recipcated not with sexual favors, as the abused Edvin expects to be treated, but instead taught religion by Henry. Edvin eventually meets a friend of Henry's called Petsamo. Petsamo is a traveling doctor, of an ex-army medic with self study in the medical arts. He is basically the closest you can get to a doctor in a world without any form of medicine or medical supplies. Petsamo is a cynic, who treats people the best way he can, which is mainly easing their suffering to the point of euthanasia. Petsamo sets the tone for the story and its eventual outcome, as the world after this all out nuclear war is a harsh place where hope is almost non-existant, and the surviving people make no effort to rebuild the world that once was.

As a reader of post-appocalyptic fiction, I found this story very moving and cold. Out of all the appocalyptic stories I've read, this story almost seems like a possible outcome of the unthinkable distruction that we as humankind could rain down upon ourselves. The characters appear very old in the story, even Edvin, who is roughly 33 years of age in the story, appears to other almost as a old man. The characters and situations are graphically horrible and ugly. This is not light reading for the reader, like other post-appocalyptic stories ala "Deathlands".

The actual meaning of the "Flood" is never really explored in this book. It could be surmised that a number of missles detonated near a fjord and caused a tidal wave that flooded the island, or that all the fallout caused a global warming the melted the icecaps and raised the sea level. It is never really known for sure.

After the Flood is translated from PC Jersild's original text. The book is regretfully out of print, but can be easily found in the public librar (that's how I got my copy). I recommed this story greatly for those who like to read appocalyptic fiction.

On the island Edvin meets two men, Petsamo and Henry. Petsamo is something of a doctor, (or the closest you can get to a doctor in a world without medical supplies) who treats people the best way he can. Henry is a deeply religious, ailing old man. Edvin becomes a slave (or nurse) to Henry. When Henry dies Edvin moves on, often crossing paths with Petsamo, and meeting an assortment of other (mostly unpleasant) people.

Edvin often describes the landscape. Mostly rock and water. He was born after the war, but he is the youngest character in the story. Most of the other characters are what Edvin calls the "old-timers", people who are old enough to remember the world as it was. Edvin is often used as a toy by other men but he doesen't mind this. He uses sex as a way to feel needed. He also uses it to survive.

The world Edvin describes is in slow decline. It is a harsh, brutal world, where no children are being born. Radiation has caused either sterility or genetic mutation. There is no beauty in any of the people. In fact Edvin initially couldn't tell the difference between a man and a woman. On the island are two groups of people. A brutal and ragged band of killers and rapists, originally the inmates of a boy's prison, which is now their fortress. And a group of nuns, who live in what is called the rabbit convent.

This is a very pessimistic story. The flood is something the older people refuse to talk about. The nature of the war is also vague, but it was serious enough to damage the ozone layer.

After the Flood is translated from PC Jersild's original text. The book is now out of print, only two libraries in Australia have a copy. In Jersild's novel books are becoming increasingly scarce as they are mostly used for fuel. PC Jersild has painted a portrait of a very grim future.

The narrator, whose name is Edvin, takes us on a depressing journey around an island in Scandinavia. Edvin is a man who lives in almost total ignorance of the world that was destroyed by war. We are never actually certain when this war took place but one of the characters has an "old" calender from 1994. If I remember correctly, Edvin was born in a fallout shelter, surrounded by demoralized, bitter and tragic survivors.

Edvin is something of a drifter. We learn a bit about his past, where his lack of education becomes obvious. He only knows little snippets of the past. At one point he wonders what made the cars go forward. He is amazed when a man with medical training tells him about something called x-rays.

Virtually all the characters in this story are ugly. Even the narrator's looks are marred by a hare-lip, which gives him a very derogatory nick-name. It's obvious that the people live lives of strain and hardship. Edvin is 33 but looks much older. Radiation has shrunk the world's population considerably. No one is trying to rebuild or repopulate. Their memories of the better world are too painful. They're resigned to the fact that humanity will be the next extinct species.

In scenario two, the book takes us 10 years beyond Edvin's story, but it all ends in hopeless futility. "After the Flood" will leave you feeling cold.