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ambeesbookishpages 's review for:
A Beginning at the End
by Mike Chen
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
I still don't have enough words to do this book justice. Wow. Just wow. I love post apocalyptic books and books where society is trying to get back on it's feet after something horrible happens. A Beginning of the End is something fresh in the post-apocalyptic genre. Society is rebuilding from a flu epidemic that killed 5 billion people and left the living traumatized. It's about finding a family when there is no hope and even the darkest moments could have beautiful outcomes.
The story is told in four distinctive point of views: Moira, Krista, Rob and his daughter Sunny. Each voice is unique and you didn't need to be told what character you were reading from, you just knew. Each character was flawed and imperfect and trying to find their way in a world that was coming back together while it was still falling apart. Each character has their own secrets and regrets that have gotten them to where they are now and that have shaped them into the character they are upon the end of the novel. I do wish however that we did get more chapters from Sunny's POV, granted she is seven but I really enjoyed being in her head. Her reasoning skills, the way she perceived the scraps of what is left of society.
There is so much I wish to discuss but I am going to leave for the reader to find out. I found it fascinating the society Chen created in the aftermath of this epidemic. The structure of society, safety protocols, quarantines and government programs created to make sure society gets back on its feet and stays there. It's fascinating because this book is 100% plausible and not just a wild work of someone's imagination. (As I read this I thought about the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the many what ifs that could have been if it hadn't been contained.)
I jump at post-apocalyptic books and though I expected this book to be different (more about the virus, ect.) I am glad that I read the book I did. Chen wrote a beautiful story about people coming together and that family isn't always blood. Society will never be perfect, even when it gets to rebuild itself. But also, that there is always something else out there waiting, another epidemic waiting to come to light. A Beginning at the End will be a book that I will be recommending for a long time to come. If you are looking for a breath of fresh air, this is the book for you.
I still don't have enough words to do this book justice. Wow. Just wow. I love post apocalyptic books and books where society is trying to get back on it's feet after something horrible happens. A Beginning of the End is something fresh in the post-apocalyptic genre. Society is rebuilding from a flu epidemic that killed 5 billion people and left the living traumatized. It's about finding a family when there is no hope and even the darkest moments could have beautiful outcomes.
The story is told in four distinctive point of views: Moira, Krista, Rob and his daughter Sunny. Each voice is unique and you didn't need to be told what character you were reading from, you just knew. Each character was flawed and imperfect and trying to find their way in a world that was coming back together while it was still falling apart. Each character has their own secrets and regrets that have gotten them to where they are now and that have shaped them into the character they are upon the end of the novel. I do wish however that we did get more chapters from Sunny's POV, granted she is seven but I really enjoyed being in her head. Her reasoning skills, the way she perceived the scraps of what is left of society.
There is so much I wish to discuss but I am going to leave for the reader to find out. I found it fascinating the society Chen created in the aftermath of this epidemic. The structure of society, safety protocols, quarantines and government programs created to make sure society gets back on its feet and stays there. It's fascinating because this book is 100% plausible and not just a wild work of someone's imagination. (As I read this I thought about the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the many what ifs that could have been if it hadn't been contained.)
I jump at post-apocalyptic books and though I expected this book to be different (more about the virus, ect.) I am glad that I read the book I did. Chen wrote a beautiful story about people coming together and that family isn't always blood. Society will never be perfect, even when it gets to rebuild itself. But also, that there is always something else out there waiting, another epidemic waiting to come to light. A Beginning at the End will be a book that I will be recommending for a long time to come. If you are looking for a breath of fresh air, this is the book for you.