Novel, 1966

Dystopian New York novel set in 1999, in which the unchecked population has led to a starved planet struggling and largely failing to feed itself on scraps and ersatz food produced. There is a vaguely didactic feeling to the book, but also a pace and energy, helped along by noirish elements and nods including a murder, high level corruption and an idealised romance, which doesn’t run as well as it might. Like the population, these strands struggles against the brutality, the attacks on the water supply and the extreme conditions brought to bear. A book which picks up pace as it goes along, and all in all, is a good read.