“Looks like you’ve found every fact about this place but the most important one.”
If there are two divisive subjects that surround our everyday lives right now, it’s the environment and the wealth gap. These two topics of conversation not only evoke powerful reactions, but the consequences of these discussions will go a long way in shaping the planet for future generations. Now that we’ve got that heavy material out of the way, let’s move back to books. There is a reason why we brought up these themes – they are the core themes behind Andrew Hunter Murray’s book, The Sanctuary. Join us here at What We Reading as we put it under the spotlight with our The Sanctuary book review!
Date Published: 2022
Author: Andrew Hunter Murray
Pages: 400
Genre: Thriller, Dystopia
Goodreads Rating: 3.64/5
Premise
The Sanctuary sets up a dystopian world sometime in the near future. The elite and wealthy have retreated to private Villages in the countryside, living a life of luxury whilst the majority of the population continue to live in urban slums all whilst various climate crises dominate the news. Readers follow Ben Parr, a young painter who spends his time illustrating the wealthy inhabitants inside the Villages.
For the past six months, his fiancee Cara has been working for the enigmatic Sir John Pemberley on the remote island of Sanctuary Rock. One day, he receives a letter from Cara telling him that she wants to break their engagement off. Ben resolves to mend his relationship by travelling to Sanctuary Rock, however, it proves to be a treacherous journey. And when he arrives in Sir John’s idyllic paradise, things spiral into a series of even more sinister twists and turns.
What Worked
First off, Andrew Hunter Murray has certainly created a believable and vivid dystopian sci-fi world. Not only does he tap into the very real fears of our current climate crisis, highlighting how the divide between rich and poor could play out in the future, but he does so in a way that still feels unique. The idea of isolated Villages living in their own bubbles away from the troubles of the world is eerily believable.
Another part of the book that proved to be incredibly gripping was the mystery behind Cara. Her ultimate fate is something most readers will agree on during a read, however, Hunter Murray does just enough to keep things ambiguous enough so that we’re never fully convinced. It was the overarching question mark that hung over the whole book and kept us gripped throughout.
Finally, the overall themes of the book, whilst obvious, were never done in a way that felt overly preachy or completely on the nose. Instead, the spotlight was shone regularly on individuals such as Sir John and his loyal followers on the island in a way that made their motivations and justifications much more understandable. When dealing with complex issues, having the ability to empathise with characters on all sides gives a story so many more dimensions.
What Didn’t
The most divisive part of The Sanctuary we can imagine other readers having is Hunter Murray’s style of writing. He certainly carries a distinctive style, but it’s one that some may find a little eccentric when compared to other authors.
There are also a lot of cases where the author spends a lot of time building the world, describing settings and scenarios, but in a way that is quite hard to visualise for a reader. The overall setting of Sanctuary Rock and its inhabitants are enough to follow along with, however, there were numerous times where we struggled to actually picture what parts of the island looked like and the proximity of its landmarks to one another.
Finally, whilst the characters of Pemberley and the island’s inhabitants are interesting and the mystery hanging over Cara’s whereabouts keeps the suspense heightened, Ben as a central protagonist is far less compelling. It becomes clear why Pemberley takes such an interest in him later on, but it’s a reveal that falls flat when you spend a whole book wondering why this reclusive island would happily host a painter who spends all his time just wandering about. You’ve got to pay your way, Ben.
Verdict
The Sanctuary has made a big splash in the reading world, and it’s clear to see why. As an imaginative dystopian thriller, Andrew Hunter Murray’s book has an incredibly enthralling premise and a good few mysteries that should keep a reader invested throughout their time with the story.
The world was constructed well and is incredibly believable, although we had a hard time visualising all the aspects of it in part because of the author’s style of writing. As a protagonist, Ben just isn’t that interesting to follow around, and too often falls into the category of lead character whose role is to retort back at the villain and push the plot along.
Overall, this was a book that held our attention and we did enjoy it. But, compared to other dystopian works we’ve reviewed such as Hanna Jameson’s The Last, it just didn’t strike the same sort of punch enough for us to say we ‘loved’ this book.
Our Rating: 3.5/5
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
