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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
The characters were all pretty toxic towards each other at points, but there was just something about each of them being together that worked? Although they could all be dicks at times, they were there for each other in their own ways. They also acknowledged their faults. They know that they sucked, but they were trying.
Micah tells the story of "after", although his viewpoint is quite distorted as he has amnesia about the event in questions. Janie tells the story of "before" through an elaborately doodled journal. Basically, Micah and Janie have been friends ever since they were little, but when they reached a certain point, they didn't acknowledge their friendship at school, just hanging out together in the evenings or on weekends. Then a big event happens and Micah can't remember what happened.
A LOT of teen drinking and partying. Not a super compelling storyline. Definitely high school material.
Janie Vivian is elusive, but popular. She's pretty and funny, and dating the BMOC, Ander Cameron. She doesn't particularly like Ander, but that's irrelevant. Janie is building social capital in her high school career, while Micah spends his time with a gay gamer friend. He's not a total loser; he's known for his bedroom eyes, but he's not in Janie's stratosphere.
Janie and Micah are hopelessly infatuated, but refuse to give in... yet. They know they're destined to intertwine, and even though Micah would like to rush things along, Janie is busy otherwise.
This is Where the World Ends switches narrators between Janie and Micah. I found it hard to follow at first, but eventually caught on. The perspectives give you a hint of what's to come, but take till the end to come together completely. I was completely caught up, and a little in love with both Janie and Micah myself.
The writing style hinges on stream-of-consciousness. It lacks punctuation and grammar, but I loved its lyrical nature. However, I can totally see how some readers might hate it. Most of all, I enjoyed the glimpses of Janie's fairy-tale-autobiography. It's a story of consent and the undoing that follows a rape--socially, physically, emotionally. I was stirred and couldn't put this book down. I wanted to quote every line, but settled on a few.
"Once upon a time, a princess took a few shots of apple vodka. She took a few more and fell asleep. A prince kissed her awake, but all she really wanted to do was sleep.
She told him that, but he didn't stop.
She did tell him. She told him no and stop, but did he listen?
Did anyone ever?"
"Once upon a time, a little girl cried Woolf.
Down in the village, people heard, but no one went to help.
'The wolves around here are nice wolves,' said one of the villagers. 'They wouldn't hurt a soul.'
'She just wants attention,' said another. 'There probably isn't a wolf at all.'
'Maybe she was wearing a red hood,' offered another. 'Red attracts wolves. Everyone knows that. If she was wearing red, she was just asking for it.'
'She was probably flirting with the wolf,' yelled another from the back. 'She flirts with all the wolves!'
And so the villagers ignored her and went on with their lives.
From then on, the little girl held her breath and her tongue. She carried matches in her pockets, so that if the villagers didn't come the next time she cried wolf, maybe they'd show up for the fire."
Favorite quotes:
"I'm sitting here and I can still feel the distance between us, just folded and crumpled, and tangled. Our soul has stretch marks.
"Wanted: stretch mark cream for the soul."
"'Sophomore year,' I say. 'And she crawled into my room one night and we took my dad's car and went to Goodwill. We bought books--she had a list of banned books. She left them in the trunk and the next morning we went to school early and she set up a library in her locker.'"
"'So many assholes. Asshole here and an asshole there. Old Waldo had a farm and called it high school.'"
"'I love you, Ander Cameron,' I whisper, trying them on my tongue.
"They taste like ice. They melt in my mouth and disappear. Stomach butterflies and air.
"I thought they would taste more like peppers and chocolate and pop rocks, like putting a Mento in your mouth and washing it down with Diet Coke. I thought it would be bubbles and breath and heat and spinning."
"Ander and I are a whirlwind. Of glitter and puppies and everything that's good and right in the world. We are perfect and beautiful and I've already gone through two tubes of Chapstick. It's like every day I date him is the best day of my life."
This book was written beautifully. Almost lyrical and I enjoyed that. I also enjoyed the two POVs.
However, it fell flat a bit? The characters motivations weren't delved into enough? Why was she such a shitty friend to begin with?
This book left me wanting a bit more.