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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Death, Grief, Ableism, Confinement, and Self harm
Minor: Racism, Transphobia, and Deadnaming
Natural disasters.anniereads221's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Grief, Ableism, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, and Violence
Flooding Tsunamibooksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The end of the world is never a great place to be, and this focuses on the concerns of someone who isn't obviously in a position to make big decisions or changes. She contributes in crucial ways, but none of them are from being some big damn hero, but just being a person who sees something needs doing and tries to take care of it as best she can.
The opening is one of the most viscerally stressful things I've read, while making me need to keep reading.
Denise’s autism is inextricable from the story, shaping her reactions and how the other characters react to her. Hers is just one way that being autistic can appear and feel, and the descriptions of what she thinks versus what she can get herself to actually say contribute to the tension in the narrative. The plot is driven by social interactions, both in the attempts to navigate this newly-formed community aboard the docked ship and in interactions with scattered survivors foraging amongst the wreckage of the old world. Some misunderstandings come from allistic and autistic communication differences (especially early on when more of the characters are strangers), but it never felt like that gap was cheaply used.
Moderate: Racism, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Medical content, Drug abuse, Drug use, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Self harm
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Towards the end of the book, the pacing of the plot picks up as well, which was a relief and I'd dare say that this book is worth it for the last few chapters alone.
However, the majority of this book was rather on the boring side, and the storyline cliché enough that it could not intrigue me that much. I did like the writing style, allthough it might have been a bit too inconsitent in places (from plain to very flowery in a heartbeat..).
Overall I do recommend this, perhaps on audiobook 2x speed this would be better suited though (?)
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Addiction
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Violence, Ableism, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Drug use, Transphobia, Confinement, Cursing, and Gore
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Blood, and Gore
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Car accident, Racism, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
One positive is that the short chapters made this a very quick read despite the story’s rather slow pace. I also liked that it was set in Amsterdam and featured an autistic protagonist, as neither of those are elements I’ve seen in a science fiction book prior to this one.
Aside from those few things, though, I can’t think of much else I liked. The state of this futuristic world wasn’t entirely clear; I still don’t know what tabs are, or why some technology worked but not all. I’m also curious about what the world is like outside of the comet’s impact zone, as it’s never mentioned. Sure, it’s not truly important, but inquiring minds want to know.
Lastly, I found the last third of the book quite confusing. What was likely intended to be a conflict for the protagonist felt more like Duyvis going back and forth trying to decide how to end the story, and then ignoring those imperfections while editing. The very end was satisfying, I admit, but I wasn’t a fan of the path that led to it.
On the Edge of Gone wasn’t my cup of tea, but it might be yours. If you’re looking for more autism representation in non-contemporary novels, or a sci-fi that isn’t quite so focused on technology, I recommend this. Just don’t go in with super high expectations. Personally, I plan to read more from Duyvis, and hopefully will enjoy those stories much more.
Representation
- autistic Dutch-Surinamese Black protagonist
- bisexual trans Black side character
- lesbian side character
- Muslim side characters
- Jewish side characters
Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death
Minor: Transphobia, Animal death, and Ableism
also includes a few instances of accidentally misgendering a trans character and graphic depictions of natural disasters