It is the future, and the earth has seemingly refused to cooperate with humanity, producing only thorn-bearing plants and caustic fogs in abundance. Life is hard for those who still inhabit urban communities. For those who have chosen to live 'off-grid' it is subsistence at best, but at least there is some kind of independence.

A woman and her son live alone, surviving as scavengers. Even so, the boy must attend military school like all the other boys. In time he will be shipped off with the rest of them to a distant planet-the Promised Land-to fight the colonising war that is touted as humanity's only hope.

By chance, the woman meets a young man who has avoided this fate, despite his lack of physical impairment. It appears that he comes from a place of sanctuary. Can he lead her back there-and help her to save her son?

In taut, evocative prose, Maria Takolander has conjured an eerie and compelling story of desolation and hope that resonates in the imagination.

PRAISE-

'Announces the arrival of a considerable talent.' Australian on The Double

'Takolander's stories are beautifully melancholy, full of arresting, dream-like sequences and imagery that stay with one long after the final page is turned.' Arts Hub on The Double

'Eerily beautiful and not for the faint of heart...It's the kind of book that will unnerve you and keep you up at night.' Readings on The Double

'The Double can be brutal yet remain achingly moving and painfully poignant; there are some outstanding, even breathtaking sentences and scenes in this book.' Sydney Morning Herald on The Double