Review: This is Where It Ends
Yes, I got commitment issues, but nothing is gonna stop me from having those issues and dealing with it. Baby I got issues but I love myself. Anyways, the point being, I decided to read this book because a 700 page novel made my brain scream. How does this book survive thousands of pages of math and chemistry?
Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun. At 10 am, the principal of Opportunity High, Alabama gives an inspiring speech for the students. 10:02 am: the students leave the auditorium. 10:04: Someone starts shooting. In 54 minutes, four students of Opportunity High School are narrating the incidents that happen, maybe this could be the last day ever, as they come face-to-face with the boy with the gun, the boy who's connected to all of them.
QUICK THOUGHTS AND REVIEW: 4.5/5, WOW, JUST, WOW.
Possible Trigger Tags:
1. Mentions of violence
2. Implications of assault [both sexual and non sexual]
3. Homophobic statements
4. Death
5. Gore
6. Mentions of suicide
WHAT DID I FEEL ABOUT THE BOOK'S:
1. Writing Quality: The writing quality is nice, though it does seem like a rip-off One of Us is Lying. Because four students narration, not gonna lie, that book did start the trope, or led it so well its famous for it. But I think I do like how the story is told out, there isn't much dilly dallying, and the narrative of each person is really short. Like bit sized chapters. It makes it easier for me to focus on what the person is thinking because one person per chapter narration often becomes boring and monotonous, which is quite a possible break from that.
2. Character Development: The character development is not something I would say coherent, but at the same time very impactful? Because let's be real, losing someone in a school shooting would change your life forever. I do love how Sylvia, Tomas and Autumn are kind of layered but the same cannot be said for Claire because there is nothing much I can decipher other than her brother Matt and Chris. There is lesser material for me to base her character on. Maybe because the other three are directly connected to Tyler? They have more personal issues with Tyler and all. Tyler can also be understood on some levels I guess.
3. Couldn't put it down- Ness: 8/10, pretty much something you can read within a single sitting.
4. Intellectual Depth: I personally think I would need a re-read of this book before I can actually say something about it because it left me fucked. Like seriously, it left me fucked even more than Verity could ever do. [Link to Verity will be added below, please check out the trigger tags on Goodreads before proceeding to read Verity]. I do think that what Tyler did could be understandable on some level. I will not defend Tyler on what he did because the school shooting was still very wrong. But through the stories that are narrated by the four children- Claire, Tomas, Sylvia and Autumn, it is not difficult to understand as to how the gears turn around in Tyler's head. It does give some explanation as to the fucking up and why he does what he does. And I think that if someone had talked it out with Tyler, maybe things would have gone very differently. Tyler clearly showed signs of someone who needed a release as well as help, the lack of which turned out to be disastrous.
5. Plot: The plot is really dynamic, considering that the whole books spans the course of 54 minutes and a lot of things can happen in said minutes. There are a lot of movements, actions and feelings that are portrayed through four teenagers and it's not really difficult to understand what is happening. There is an adrenaline rush that works throughout the plot, from the shooting to the police and to Tyler blowing his brains out. The sheer adrenaline will keep you going till the very end.
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