Jacey Bedford's Journal

Audiobook narrated by Tom Weiner

I read this post-apocalyptic novel years and years ago, in a different century, though it might well have been a different planet. Published in 1964 (but written before the USA's Civil Rights act of 1964 and the Voting Rights act of 1965) this deals with pressing issues of the day - the threat of nuclear war with the USSR, and the issue of race in what was still a partially segregated country.

Under the threat of war, Hugh Farnham builds a nuclear bunker, just in time. When the big one hits, the Farnhams (Hugh, his wife Grace, adult son, Duke, daughter Karen, and black employee, Joseph, together with Karen’s  friend, Barbara) are catapulted into a different time, where there are no signs of any other human beings. Initially Heinlein turns sections of this book into a survival manual. Farnham is a prepper, but still has to work out how to build a (small) aqueduct, and we're right there with him for a blow-by-blow account. There's a bit of Swiss Family Robinson in here - to start with, at least. And then everything changes when they discover that they've been catapulted 2000 years into the future where the African and Asian peoples who were not wiped out in the mutually destructive US-Russian war, are now a technically advanced civilisation which runs on slavery.

This has not aged well in the 65 years since publication, and was probably problematic, even then, with its racism and sexism. It has to be judged as a piece of history, possibly one that we would prefer to forget. I can see that Heinlein was trying to write something approaching satire, but in doing do, created blatant stereotypes. Bear in mind that he was writing this as Martin Luther King was making his ‘I have a dream’ speech. His reversal of racial roles is clumsy and (good grief!) the dark-skinned people have a penchant for cannibalism. (Yes, really!) All the characters are unlovable. Grace is permanently drunk, drugged insensible, or high, and is Klansman-level racist. The son, Duke, is not much better, racist-wise. Hugh prides himself on treating Joseph as an equal, which he does, but there's still a certain air of condescension. Karen, the daughter, is a bit of an air head, and Barbara, having fallen for Hugh (goodness knows why) only wants to do what he wants her to do in order to please him. The female characters are weak and dependent.

Also, stylistically it feels a bit stilted with people calling each other by their names in dialogue rather more than modern authors would allow. ("Well, Mr. Farnham, what do you think? "I think we're going to die, Barbara."). Dialogue - especially the women's - is stiff an unrealistic.

This is not an easy book to swallow. Tom Weiner is the narrator, and he reads it like it's written, i.e. somewhat stiff and formal, He does well with male voices, but less well with the female ones. The narration works as the period piece it is.

The book wouldn’t pass muster today.