A lengthy post-apocalyptic tale that requires patience of its readers

Juice is the book recommendation to dispel the notion that women speak too much.

- Charmaine Lim

JUICE By Tim Winton Climate fiction/Picador/Hardcover/ 528 pages/$39.95

The unnamed male narrator of the newest novel by acclaimed Australian author Tim Winton is - as Gen Z would say - a yapper. One that would put most self-proclaimed yappers to shame with an ability to talk for nearly 500 pages about his entire life with few breaks and seemingly little purpose.

Set in a post-apocalyptic Australian desert suffering from food scarcity, Juice is billed as "a searing, epic journey through a life where the challenge is not only to survive; it's keeping your humanity if you do".

Yet, the main challenge for readers is not to be bored by the droning narrative.

The narrator, arriving at an abandoned mine with a child in tow, is quickly captured by an unnamed male bowman who resides in the structure. Biding time to form a plan of escape, the narrator launches into his life story.