Review: The Quiet at the End of the World
Title: The Quiet at the End of the World
Author: Lauren James
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Walker Books
Date Published: March 7th 2019
Goodreads Description: Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion.
Their idyllic life is torn apart when a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide who to save and who to sacrifice . . .
I was given a review copy by Pan Macmillan SA. All opinions are my own.
General Thoughts
Man, this book. It’s once again one of those books you read, and when you finish you can’t seem to find the right words to describe what you were feeling. Even though this book was dystopian, it was still a cosy, albeit scary read. It wasn’t scary in the traditional dystopian way, there was no zombies or aliens, it was scary in the way that we all know the world could end like that.
Lowrie and Shen are the last two people on earth, after an infertility crisis. The world is falling apart and they have the weight of the entire human race on their shoulders. You could feel the weight of that throughout the book. The book was just stunning. The writing was stunning and I enjoyed the story.
It includes a surprising twist at the end, which I did not see coming, and I absolutely loved it. This was a quick read, but it definitely stayed with me after reading. It made me think of humanity and all the things we built, and how easily we could be wiped out. A Quiet at the End of the World was scary, but at the same time made me feel insignificant, and not in a bad way. It’s that feeling when you recognise that there are bigger things out there and we’re all a part of it.
Characters
Another reason I loved this book is the characters. It includes so much diversity and I am here for it. A Quiet at the End of the World includes an Asian character, who is also deaf in one ear, as well as a bi main character and a trans character. All of these characters were beautifully written and it’s so great to read about these people.
I always like to believe that one-day humanity would be able to love each other no matter our differences. At the end of the world, nothing else really matters but our love for each other, and this book conveys it beautifully.
Read it. Immediately.
Let’s Chat
What did you think of this book?
Great review. Glad you loved this book.
Lovely review. I like that the story stayed with you after reading it and while I don’t generally like dystopian, the storyline here has my interests piqued.
Wowowow that cover is stunning! I might just have to pick this one up – fabulous review!
Okay, this book sounds right up my alley. I’m definitely going to be adding it to my TBR! Thanks for the review!
Glad you liked it, I just can’t make myself pick up a dystopian book
I’ve read this book too and loved it. Great review, glad you enjoyed it.
Such a great review. I am not a big dystopian fan, but I think this one might be going on the TBR.
Great review this book looks and sounds absolutely fantastic and right up my alley as well, I’m really glad you fully enjoyed reading this book. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.