Weerwater (novel)

Most residents of Almere believe their city is the only one that has survived the end of the world. This is because all connections to the world outside of Almere are severed and nobody is coming back into the city. The population is rapidly falling from around 200,000 to 5,000, mostly women. Infectious diseases such as cholera, Typhus and diphtheria claim their merciless toll.

Yet there is also an undercurrent, worded by Lazaar Lazaar, who thinks that a central government undertook a horrible experiment with the city, which was once won from water. The climate has become tropical and the days are equally long all year round and the twilight is correspondingly short. In particular, young men run fast through the fog banks surrounding the municipal territory.

After the two disasters, the city council is taken over by the only remaining alderman of Culture and three obscure PVV council members. After his death, the head of the prison takes his place. Renate is also closely involved in decision-making as a city writer. Due to the loss of electricity and a lack of men, the standard of living falls back quickly. Food is becoming a problem, even though the city had opportunities to provide food for its 200,000 inhabitants, it is now unable to feed 5000.

The escaped 300 male detainees turn out to be both a curse and a blessing. They are divided into useful (200) and scum (100) by the prison director. The last group withdraws voluntarily in 'The Castle' and terrorizes from there to an increasingly lesser extent the population, which has largely withdrawn in Almere Centrum around the Weerwater.

The usable prisoners are appointed as the head of 200 clans, called 'Close Family', in which alternative families are formed by lottery. Large themes for the survivors are growing food and making babies, which is almost hopeless with malnourished women. Moreover, the major life demand that remains outside Almere remains unresolved for all residents.

The discovery of an approximately six months old baby girl Ally suggests that there is still life outside of Almere. It is unclear, however, how it is that the city is not undermined after the power grid has failed. Clan heads take control of the city and find their old prison director willing to test whether the fog wall still prevents return to the city. If this Jacob Krikke does not return, a more positive mood returns to the city. The survivors still stand alone. As city writer, Renate sends a message to the outside world via bottle mail.