Nicky Singer (1956–2023)

In the not too distant future, the world is so warm that millions of people from Africa are desperately trying to get North to the colder climate of the UK. The Arctic Ice has melted and to combat over population everyone must "take the needle" and be voluntarily euthanized at the age of 75.
This is the world that Scottish born Mhairi lives in. Unfortunately for her, she has spent the last 6 years in Sudan with her parents and now must make her way across the desert to Cairo to catch a plane to Heathrow. Once on English soil she must prove that she is Scottish and see if she can be allowed to return to this now separate country as the borders are strictly patrolled. While trying to complete this epic journey she comes across a little African boy who has been so traumatised as a refugee that he is a mute. When the boy's companion suddenly dies, Mhairi makes a decision that will have consequences for the rest of her life.
Gritty story where Mhairi's draws on the unique strengths of her parents - her father's quite observation and compassion for the world , and her mother's fierce determination and belief that the world can be a better place if individuals act proactively. Harrowing ending.… (mais)