White City, The

A permanently frozen London is the setting for a harrowing yet lyrical tale of survival in a dystopian near-future by Costa-shortlisted author Roma Tearne. 'Every day when I stand on high ground and look towards the Tower, to where the river used to be, I see it melt a little more.' Hera has known great loss over decades of endless winter. The first snows coincided with the arrest of her brother on terrorism charges, and since then she has witnessed the total collapse of normal life in a devastated London. Her only source of comfort through it all has been her relationship with Raphael. Now, as the thaw begins, can she at last track down her elusive lover? Within this compelling vision of a dystopian near-future, Roma Tearne offers us a moving study of human endurance.