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kris7's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
ritzreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
i will never think about anything the same again
are we the ants
are we the ants
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Miscarriage
Minor: Rape
marion's review
4.0
je suis trop contente de pas avoir dnf au bout de 15% juste parce que ça parlait d'aliens et que je déteste ça !!!
c'était vraiment trop bien, j'ai annoté et surligné tellement de passages (sur ma liseuse), purée je m'attendais pas à ça !!
c'était vraiment trop bien, j'ai annoté et surligné tellement de passages (sur ma liseuse), purée je m'attendais pas à ça !!
callikat's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
eesh25's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the few times I'm glad to have waited a few days to write the review. I loved this book so much when I finished it and I need time to make sure that it wasn't a fleeting feeling. It wasn't. And while I don't think I'll ever be able to write a review that does the book justice, I'm a lot more prepared to try.
The premise of this novel is an unusual one, which is something I've come to accept from the author. It's about a teenage boy, Henry, who gets abducted by aliens. It has happens a few times in the last few years. He doesn't know why, only that they take him, do their little experiments and then drop him off somewhere in town, usually without his clothes. During the latest abduction, they tell him that the world will end in 144 days. Then they show him a big red button. If he presses the button, the world will be saved. And he has 144 days to decide if the world is worth saving.
Now, when I first read the synopsis, a part of me assumed that this was humorous novel; a ridiculous notion since Shaun David Hutchinson doesn't write Humour. But no worries, it didn't take long for me to figure out that this was not a funny book. There were funny moments, sure, but it way more along the lines of punch-in-the-guts sad.
It may seem strange to some that Henry would need so long to press a friggin' button that could save the world. But there's not much that Henry has seen of the world that makes him think the world deserved it. His family has a lot of issues; with an absent after, an overworked mother who's too tired to care about much of anything, a dick of an older brother, and grandmother with Alzheimer's. He also has to deal with the constant, and cruel, bullying at school, and the grief over his boyfriend, who committed suicide the previous year.
To him, the world is a horrible place that just need to fucking end. And honestly, the first half of the book is so gut-wrenching that I wanted the world to end. Though, to be fair, I frequently want the world to end. But that's beside the point. Henry isn't a guy who's sad all the time. He's almost numb to all the horrible things in his life, which is so much worse. It's the shit that happens to him that convinces you that he'd be justified in not pushing the button.
And the author does such an amazing job of depicting every aspect of his life and his perspective, that you empathize with him and understand every single one of his decisions, the good and the bad. The author makes you understand, as much as it's possible for one to understand, what it would feel like to be in his shoes. I remember thinking, when I read The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, that the prose lacked emotion. It makes me so happy to see how far the author has come. Because this book's prose was perfect.
And I'm not just talking about Henry and his family. We get a bunch of really complex characters including a new guy who's nice and interesting, a girl Henry was friends with through his ex, and another guy who refuses to treat him like a human being unless it's behind closed doors.
This book delivers multilayered characters, a fascinating story, all of the emotion you could possibly ask for, and one of the most brilliant and satisfying conclusions I've ever read. And that ending is only made better by the fact that it could have gone so wrong. But the author writes it amazingly well and it works in the best way, delivering a message that's perfect for a book so somber. I would give this book all the stars if I could because to me, it was perfect and I couldn't recommend it enough.
P.S. I forgot to mention the small chapters in between that feature some of Henry's theories on how the world could end. Those were also perfect.
The premise of this novel is an unusual one, which is something I've come to accept from the author. It's about a teenage boy, Henry, who gets abducted by aliens. It has happens a few times in the last few years. He doesn't know why, only that they take him, do their little experiments and then drop him off somewhere in town, usually without his clothes. During the latest abduction, they tell him that the world will end in 144 days. Then they show him a big red button. If he presses the button, the world will be saved. And he has 144 days to decide if the world is worth saving.
Now, when I first read the synopsis, a part of me assumed that this was humorous novel; a ridiculous notion since Shaun David Hutchinson doesn't write Humour. But no worries, it didn't take long for me to figure out that this was not a funny book. There were funny moments, sure, but it way more along the lines of punch-in-the-guts sad.
It may seem strange to some that Henry would need so long to press a friggin' button that could save the world. But there's not much that Henry has seen of the world that makes him think the world deserved it. His family has a lot of issues; with an absent after, an overworked mother who's too tired to care about much of anything, a dick of an older brother, and grandmother with Alzheimer's. He also has to deal with the constant, and cruel, bullying at school, and the grief over his boyfriend, who committed suicide the previous year.
To him, the world is a horrible place that just need to fucking end. And honestly, the first half of the book is so gut-wrenching that I wanted the world to end. Though, to be fair, I frequently want the world to end. But that's beside the point. Henry isn't a guy who's sad all the time. He's almost numb to all the horrible things in his life, which is so much worse. It's the shit that happens to him that convinces you that he'd be justified in not pushing the button.
And the author does such an amazing job of depicting every aspect of his life and his perspective, that you empathize with him and understand every single one of his decisions, the good and the bad. The author makes you understand, as much as it's possible for one to understand, what it would feel like to be in his shoes. I remember thinking, when I read The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, that the prose lacked emotion. It makes me so happy to see how far the author has come. Because this book's prose was perfect.
And I'm not just talking about Henry and his family. We get a bunch of really complex characters including a new guy who's nice and interesting, a girl Henry was friends with through his ex, and another guy who refuses to treat him like a human being unless it's behind closed doors.
This book delivers multilayered characters, a fascinating story, all of the emotion you could possibly ask for, and one of the most brilliant and satisfying conclusions I've ever read. And that ending is only made better by the fact that it could have gone so wrong. But the author writes it amazingly well and it works in the best way, delivering a message that's perfect for a book so somber. I would give this book all the stars if I could because to me, it was perfect and I couldn't recommend it enough.
P.S. I forgot to mention the small chapters in between that feature some of Henry's theories on how the world could end. Those were also perfect.
faeriesparks's review against another edition
5.0
I'm at a loss for words right now but what I can say is that this book is incredible. It made me cry several times, especially the ending, but it was also funny and inspiring. Definitely a new favorite!
iris_cy's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i have spent many years debating with myself on the purpose of our existence on this world. sometimes i cannot comprehend why we've been put here to watch the planet die with us. when it burns, everything we called sacred will have been equal to soil. there will be no conscious being to hold our memories, and the human race will have never existed. yet when Earth burns, its light—our light—will find its way to the other side of the galaxy, and our past will be observable. we (or the memory of us) will live until we lose our glow. not bad for ants, huh?
i connected with henry denton on such a deep level, that i cannot let him go. i feel that i've met my best friend, yet he is mere words on a page. regardless, thank you, henry. even when the universe forgets us, i will never forget you.
i connected with henry denton on such a deep level, that i cannot let him go. i feel that i've met my best friend, yet he is mere words on a page. regardless, thank you, henry. even when the universe forgets us, i will never forget you.
yveningstar's review against another edition
5.0
“We could all die, the world could end, and the universe would simply carry on. A hundred billion years from now, no one will exist who remembers we were space boys or chronic-masturbating alcoholics or science teachers or ex-cons or valedictorians. When we’re gone, time will forget whether we swapped spit with strangers. It will forget we ever existed.
And it doesn’t matter.”
i'd rate this 6/5 if i can, tho henry frustrates me sometimes. he's just too kind to charlie damn. his brother deserves to be kicked in the balls multiple times a day.
if henry were to ask me though, i wouldn't push the damn button. i like how the ending makes me want to change my mind.
And it doesn’t matter.”
i'd rate this 6/5 if i can, tho henry frustrates me sometimes. he's just too kind to charlie damn. his brother deserves to be kicked in the balls multiple times a day.
if henry were to ask me though, i wouldn't push the damn button. i like how the ending makes me want to change my mind.
kajsabjork's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75