Book with nuclear explosion - not a thriller really, whats its name?

[dans1977uk]

I read a book, I think at school between 1989 and 1995, in which there was a nuclear explosion and only one girl survived within a valley with it's own micro climate. Or so she thought, as further into the book a chap in a radiation suit found this valley and tried to kill her. I remember a passage where they try to get fuel from a pump by turning it manually and think the chap in the radiation suit dies in the end. Any ideas welcomed!!

[LeMarchand]

Not read it, but from my limited knowledge it could be "Z for Zachariah".

[mccfluff]

i remember this from school it was def z for zachariah, great book

[File Cutter]

You'd probably also like

Children of the dust by Louise Lawrence and

Brother in the Land by Robert Zwindells

Both post nuclear war young adult novels

[mycats]

Yeah it is "Z for Zachariah" a great book, so is "Children of the Dust" God I havent read those for years
I also loved the Fire Brats series, There were 4 of them, The Burning Land , Survivors ,Thunder Mountain and Shockwave.

[SaxyJag]

I would go with Z for Zacharia. I remember it well. The suit had a bullet hole in it, and I think it turned out that the bloke had shot the previous owner so that he could have the suit. He was a bit crazy, I believe.

[gary baldy]

I think the BBc made Z for Zachariah in to a tv show.
I remember it was so reassuring for a teenager growing up in the 80's to be constantly reminded that we could all be wiped out in a nuclear holocaust any time soon.
I know i wasnt alone in going to bed some nights thinking we would fry in our beds.
If it wasnt threads or the war game it was when the wind blows or Z for bloomin zachariah!
Werent the 80's great?

[Kenzie]

Wasn't this dramatised on TV in the 80s - Anthony Andrews played the guy?

Another book on the same theme - I think is called "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute; based in Australia were the few remaining people alive after a global nuclear war have the radiation cloud slowly drifting towards them. Very dark and chilling.