Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - On the Edge of Gone

The first half of this book is slow and stiff, plotwise. The side-characters are not as developed as I would have liked to see, but I liked their potential. I loved Denise, the main character- the autism rep is immaculate and spot on! You can tell this is an own-voices book. I adored the trans rep as well, and the sibling relationship was very well written. A lot of Denise's experiences are very relatable and it makes me happy and emotional to know that alot of people might feel less alone because of this book and this character :') <3.

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 (?)

Content Warnings

puttingwingsonwords's review

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dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

Content Warnings

plumpaperbacks's review

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dark emotional slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was my introduction to Duyvis’ work, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. While the book’s concept was certainly intriguing, the execution, unfortunately, fell flat.

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

Content Warnings

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