On The Beach

by Nevil Shute

I remember reading this book as a teenager and would consider it one of my favourite books. I came across it recently and had a chance to re-read it. Why do I enjoy this book? It's a sad but also beautiful story: there is a nuclear war in the northern hemisphere that has wiped out the world's population. As the radiation drifts southwards, city by city are dying. Those left in Australia are living out the last days of their life, knowing the end is coming.