Reviews

Songs for the End of the World by Saleema Nawaz

ovenbird_reads's review

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4.0

I'm a little late to this one. The impact must have been beyond uncanny in 2020 when this was published. It's a testament to the author's excellent research that the story was such an echo of the real pandemic that almost immediately followed this book's release. Four years into the pandemic this book still resonated strongly with my own experience of the early days of lockdown. Great characters and, thankfully, a hopeful read despite the grim subject matter.

crummeyforthewin's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

jlynnoh5's review

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4.0

Ever read a book and get a serious case of deja vu? I definitely had that occur several times while reading Songs for the End of the World by Saleema Nawaz. Masks, social distancing, rationed food products – it all rings a little close for comfort given our current situation. Written between 2013-2019, the novel takes place during a global pandemic that occurs during the summer of 2020.

You might be asking yourself…”Is this author a time traveler? A Nostradamus? A psychic? All of the above?” Regardless, she is extremely skilled at her craft and I highly recommend checking out this novel.

From the publisher – This is the story of a handful of people who find themselves living through an unfolding catastrophe.

Elliot is a first responder in New York, a man running from past failures and struggling to do the right thing. Emma is a pregnant singer preparing to headline a benefit concert for victims of the outbreak–all while questioning what kind of world her child is coming into. Owen is the author of a bestselling plague novel with eerie similarities to the real-life pandemic. As fact and fiction begin to blur, he must decide whether his lifelong instinct for self-preservation has been worth the cost.
As the novel moves back and forth in time, we discover these characters’ ties to one another–and to those whose lives intersect with theirs–in an extraordinary web of connection and community that reveals none of us is ever truly alone. Linking them all is the mystery of the so-called ARAMIS Girl, a woman at the first infection site whose unknown identity and whereabouts cause a furor.

Written and revised between 2013 and 2019, and brilliantly told by an unforgettable chorus of voices, Saleema Nawaz’s glittering novel is a moving and hopeful meditation on what we owe to ourselves and to each other. It reminds us that disaster can bring out the best in people–and that coming together may be what saves us in the end.

This was a beautifully written story about the very core of humanity. How we deal with isolation, fear and pain, while continuing to hold on to hope and resiliency in the face of great adversity. The novel is much more than a disaster/pandemic story, reminding the reader of the importance of human connection. It reminds me a lot of Emily St. John Mandel’s novel, Station Eleven, another expertly crafted character study set during a global catastrophe.

Nawaz creates an amazing cast of characters, weaving them together in creative and unique ways. The story reads like a “six degrees of separation” game, as each chapter serves to connect one person to the next. I thoroughly enjoyed Elliot’s character as I felt he had the most realistic and developed experience throughout the novel.

Though narrated by several different individuals,the plot remains easy to follow, which speaks to it’s strength and deepens the reader’s understanding of each character’s motives. The plot takes place both in the past and present, providing interesting context for the events leading up to the pandemic and further cementing the relationships between the characters.

I definitely recommend this novel if you are looking for your next great read.

smalltownbookmom's review

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3.0

I was really excited for this book. It turned out to be a bit disappointing. I just didnt care very much for the characters. Such a timely novel too.

lw_304's review

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4.0

Can’t decide between 3.5 and 4 stars. Felt eerily close to narrating the times we are living in.

emjay2021's review

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4.0

I think Saleema Nawaz’ biggest strengths as a writer are her ability to build a clear portrait of each character and her ability to paint a clear picture of this speculative world and the anxieties it contains. Considering that this was written so far in advance of the current pandemic, it is eerie to see how much she got right. A year into the pandemic, I found myself almost glossing over parts of it because they featured things we now take for granted (mind you, other things made me think, well *that* would never happen).

I listened to this as an audiobook, with multiple narrators, and I thought it was really well done, though I did have to speed it up quite a bit to make it sound normal. There were a couple of CBC Radio hosts in here--I was pretty tickled to realize that Ali Hassan and Nana aba Duncan were two of the voices. There are a lot of characters, and it takes a while to see how they are all connected. I did have a few moments of trying to remember who was who—as my friend Doug pointed out, when you are listening to it, you don’t have the option of looking at the “who’s who” chart that exists in the paper book. But it wasn’t too bad and I figured it out. I knew who the main characters were; I mostly got mixed up in who some of the more minor characters were.

I cared more about some characters than others (which is normal, I think). I really disliked Owen, even though he grew on me a little more by the end of the book. I was also irked by Stu and adult Emma, though I liked the section about Emma’s childhood a lot. I liked Elliot and Sarah, and although their university professor parents were kind of exasperating, they made me laugh because I know people like that. Edith/Ed/Xiaolan was an interesting character and I wish we could have spent more time with her.

If you are looking for a pandemic thriller, this isn’t it. It’s really more concerned with existential crises. It is relatively slow paced; there’s not much suspense, just kind of a dreamlike feeling. The characters are often just slogging through their days, which are alternately filled with tedium and terror as they grapple with the unknown. They rehash their past, ponder their regrets, try to reconnect with past relationships (romantic and otherwise) and reaffirm current ones, and generally confront their mortality in the face of the aggressive ARAMIS virus. I’m sure there are plenty of people who can relate to this; whether or not you want your fiction to hold up such an unflinching mirror will be an individual choice.

[Content warnings:
Spoilergruesome deaths, many pregnancies, children in peril, attempted suicide

kathyblais's review

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4.0

Really enjoyed reading this one (and was very thankful for the diagram that linked all the characters together!) It reminded me of “Station Eleven” for obvious reasons, but didn’t leave the same mark on me as that one did.

julesfrigault's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

amn028's review

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3.0

The story starts off strong and pulled me in, but waned by the halfway point. It is a decent story on the human toll of living in a pandemic but the multiple character viewpoints water down the expansion of each character.

larabreanne's review

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adventurous dark hopeful reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0