Climate Change

The main theme in the novel, climate change, is the primary driving force of the plot. The selling point of the plot is that, in the near future, global warming has worsened to the point that the next Ice Age has been triggered. At the start of the novel, we immediately see the early effects of this occurring. From the very first page of the novel, the authorities are discussing the impending threat of the coming winter, said to be the worst that has been seen in 20 years. However, it is clear, even at this early stage, that everyone in the novel is not taking this issue very seriously. Those that are doing so are often ignored.

However, the changing climate is not the focus of the novel, despite founding the premise. The most we see of global warming for the majority of the plot...