What Happened to the Corbetts
by Nevil Shute
The action of this novel takes place in 1938, it tells the story of the Corbetts, a family preparing for the coming war. When the Earth begins to collapse around them, they decide to come across their only escape route and board their small yacht on the Solent. Peter Corbett, a local lawyer, his wife Joan, and their three children decide to move out of the war zone after their home and Corbett's offices are destroyed. They board their small yacht, which is held on the Humble River, but quickly realizes that escaping to ports farther away from Southampton is the only answer. However, due to fears of cholera and other diseases, many ports are in quarantine. While in the open waters of the English Channel, the Corbetts come to the aid of some of the British naval pilots who have been shot down. Their commander invites the family to go to the French port of Brest, where Corbett can volunteer for military service and where his family can board a ship for Canada's safety. The novel discusses the consequences of the bombings, such as the spread of the disease from the lack of clean water and what can be done to alleviate the suffering of those affected.
