In the Wet

By: Nevil Shute

Narrated by: Norman Dietz

It is the wet season in the Australian outback. Drunk and delirious, an old ex-pilot known as “Pisspot Stevie” lies dying in a remote cabin in the Queensland bush. When a priest named Roger Hargreaves comes upon him, Stevie is smoking opium to relieve the pain of his last moments. The priest listens as Stevie, in an opium-fueled haze, begins to describe a very different life he once lived - not in the past, but decades in the future, as a mixed-race aviator who finds love and glory in service to the Queen.

After Stevie’s death, as Hargreaves tries to sort dream from reality, he makes discoveries that cause him to wonder if he has been granted a glimpse beyond the veil.

©1981 Nevil Shute Norway (P)1988 Recorded Books, LLC

Surprisingly great

This is an unusual book, so detailed, as Shute does so well. But it has a very unusual premise. All I can say is stick with it and you won’t be sorry. The ending is superb.

Enjoyable

Really enjoyed the aeronautical aspects and background. Interesting concept. Well executed. Powerful and evocative ending.

Testament of a self-exile

Two good stories wrapped around a political screed. This is Shute’s near-hysterical jeremiad on why he left England for Australia.

OOPs - didn't quite stand the test of time

Shute is always a wonderful listen. This story with its conjecture, just missed the mark by a little. When it was written I think it would have felt fine. Loved the characters, the descriptions and the overall feeling of awe in such a story. I admire him for taking on such a novel. I like the political ideas postulated in the story.

Shute is always good ...

When listening to this one must realize that it is a story from another time and place. Delicately the author navigates his way through the race issues of Australia. Written in the early 1960's with an aviation background the story is narrated with a total command of the geography, culture and history of the Realm.
Note: Everything Nevil Shute has written is good.