Teaser

When his beloved Cara chooses to live in an exclusive gated community, painter Ben follows her. But Sanctuary Rock is not the paradise it seems to be, and Ben soon finds himself under the thumb of the island’s enigmatic ruler . . .

Review

Science fiction is, partly by its own choice, a somewhat isolated genre. One that remains in conversation with itself, and is still seen as something other by the broader literary scene. Nevertheless, science fiction shares a large border with mainstream fiction, and when crossings are made they often take the form of speculative thrillers. Think of any time James Bond has had to stop some dastardly new technology being unleashed on an unsuspecting world, or all those maverick detectives who use cutting edge techniques to put wrongdoers behind bars. The Sanctuary is one such speculative thriller.

Set in the very near future, The Sanctuary does little with its futuristic setting. The death of the world’s last elephant plays a minor role, but the book would work just as well if it were set in the present, or even the near past. The future it projects is plausible largely because little has changed. With only a little bit of tinkering, the basic premise could have been an episode of The X-Files. A reclusive billionaire has founded a series of gated communities across Britain, and nobody is really sure what goes on inside them, or if their purpose is as benign as he claims. Naturally, when ben arrives, he soon uncovers a conspiracy to commit great crimes. It’s no great spoiler to say the the communities have been built for a grander purpose than simply giving people homes.

Any good conspiracy requires a good protagonist to unravel it, and it’s here that The Sanctuary falls short. Ben does investigate, but with a peculiar lack of urgency. He rapidly buys into the propaganda of Sanctuary Rock, and spends more time painting than looking for his betrothed. Clearly, this is a warning about the persuasive abilities of charismatic demagogues, and how easy it is for even good men to be misled by liars. However, Ben shows such little interest in actively getting his fiancée back, that you can’t help but wonder if his heart is really in it.

There are some pacing issues too. The book is glacial to start, and almost a third of the book is gone before we even make it to the island. There are a lot of discussion regarding the nature of painting, which are all well and good if you’re interested in the purpose of art, but rather dry if you are not. Then, after a long haul of quietly living in a sinister paradise, it all explodes into a very brief climax. Some of it works well, with the idea of generational guilt being pulled off satisfyingly, but the resolution of Ben’s search for Cara ends up as almost an afterthought.

Murray has a good ear for dialogue, and there are some great moments scattered throughout The Sanctuary, but if you’re looking to sample his work, I would recommend starting with The Last Day. It may have been a debut, but it is a far stronger book in every regard than this sophomore effort.

Book Stats

• A Standalone Novel
• Published in 2022 by Penguin
• 387 Pages