The Keeper - Barry Faville

Published by Puffin Books/Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd: Auckland, NZ, 1988 (1986).

An easy story to read, The Keeper is set in a post-apocalyptic New Zealand, where a small group of villagers live on the shores of the 'Big Lake', which is later explicitly identified as Taupo. Within the village, Michael (our main character) is one of the few people - and the youngest - who can still read, and is called a 'Keeper' from the way he can 'keep' the information found within books. Michael narrates the story to us in the form of a journal he is keeping. An older 'keeper' named Charles also adds notes in a few places, expanding on the storylines that Michael remains unaware of.

The Keeper is fairly typical for this type of book; there are groups of survivors, some 'outsiders' who may at times be antagonist but also may be misunderstood, there are challenges to face (Michael and his friends must help hunt down a rogue tiger, descended from those released from zoos), there are areas to journey through, and there is a bit of a love subplot. 

This last feature is done in a very abrupt and surprising way for a kids book: Michael goes to visit the girl he is fond of, Jean, who is in the midst of being rejected by her family for having a deformed arm. Immediately, the two leave and return to Michael's home, where they lie down and comfort one another (never mentioning anything happening that is inappropriate for a children's book). From that time on, Michael and Jean are a couple. 

I mean, I guess that makes sense for the context. It's just a bit out of the blue.

Anyway, The Keeper is nothing super-original but is still an easy read, and fits nicely into the realm of 'classic-style sci-fi'.

Completed 22 May 2024.

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