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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Last year, I read my first Shaun David Hutchinson, We Are the Ants, and it was dark, weird, thought-provoking, and really well-crafted. All of that applies to At the Edge of the Universe too. This is going to be a tough book to review, even in short format, because it’s a deeply strange book that’s hard to quantify, and I’m not sure to what degree I “got” it, but wow was it good.
Given how different We Are the Ants and At the Edge of the Universe are in concept, they have a whole lot of similarities in terms of tone and sheer weirdness. Both novels center on main characters who are potentially deeply unreliable narrators. In At the Edge of the Universe, Ozzie is the only person who remembers his best friend and boyfriend Tommy. One day Tommy just disappeared from the narrative, leaving Ozzie behind alone with everyone thinking he’s insane. Is Ozzie right? Did Tommy disappear? Is the universe shrinking?
Though not similar in tone, I couldn’t help thinking of the UTTER BRILLIANT show Wonderfalls, which is about a girl who has an “episode” after which animal toys tell her to do things. In the show, you don’t know if she’s gone insane or if the messages are divine or what. There’s a similar vibe here, and the way everything unravels is excellent storytelling. View Spoiler » Ozzie struggles with how to go on, the only person aware that something’s deeply wrong in the universe. His friends and family want him to move on, and Ozzie himself is conflicted about his feelings for another boy in his class.
Listen, guys, I really don’t know what to tell you about this book, because it’s really hard to discuss, and I don’t want to give anything away. It’s super excellent and will absolutely make you think. I need to read all of Hutchinson’s backlist because damn he’s brilliant.
Given how different We Are the Ants and At the Edge of the Universe are in concept, they have a whole lot of similarities in terms of tone and sheer weirdness. Both novels center on main characters who are potentially deeply unreliable narrators. In At the Edge of the Universe, Ozzie is the only person who remembers his best friend and boyfriend Tommy. One day Tommy just disappeared from the narrative, leaving Ozzie behind alone with everyone thinking he’s insane. Is Ozzie right? Did Tommy disappear? Is the universe shrinking?
Though not similar in tone, I couldn’t help thinking of the UTTER BRILLIANT show Wonderfalls, which is about a girl who has an “episode” after which animal toys tell her to do things. In the show, you don’t know if she’s gone insane or if the messages are divine or what. There’s a similar vibe here, and the way everything unravels is excellent storytelling. View Spoiler » Ozzie struggles with how to go on, the only person aware that something’s deeply wrong in the universe. His friends and family want him to move on, and Ozzie himself is conflicted about his feelings for another boy in his class.
Listen, guys, I really don’t know what to tell you about this book, because it’s really hard to discuss, and I don’t want to give anything away. It’s super excellent and will absolutely make you think. I need to read all of Hutchinson’s backlist because damn he’s brilliant.
Well, I liked the diverse cast of characters and Calvin....
...the writing flowed really well....
...and that was it.
What was the point?
Ozzie was an interesting character. At first. But, I really started hating him. All this odd shit is going on around him and I feel no emotions from him. He just continues to live his life. The universe is shrinking? He mentions it to a few people, does a little research, then pretty much just waits for whatever is going to happen to happen.
Even toward the end, he does NOTHING until he is finally faced with nothing else existing. Only then did he finally take charge of his future and do something about it. And when he did....RESET. The whole book did not matter in the end.
Maybe the point of the book was supposed to be that the universe is only as big as you make it. And it wasn't all that entertaining seeing how small Oz was making his own universe. I was hoping for a good pay off...but never got one.
...the writing flowed really well....
...and that was it.
What was the point?
Ozzie was an interesting character. At first. But, I really started hating him. All this odd shit is going on around him and I feel no emotions from him. He just continues to live his life. The universe is shrinking? He mentions it to a few people, does a little research, then pretty much just waits for whatever is going to happen to happen.
Even toward the end, he does NOTHING until he is finally faced with nothing else existing. Only then did he finally take charge of his future and do something about it. And when he did....RESET. The whole book did not matter in the end.
Maybe the point of the book was supposed to be that the universe is only as big as you make it. And it wasn't all that entertaining seeing how small Oz was making his own universe. I was hoping for a good pay off...but never got one.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was weirdly good. I didn’t really get invested until about halfway through, but once I was in I was all in. This was strange but I loved that about it. It definitely gives off similar vibes to We Are the Ants.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
10 years later I finally read my first Shaun David Hutchinson book. And I think I'll read more, once I get this toppling pile of TBR off my desk.
I liked the concept a lot in theory, and I adored it in the last fifth or so, but I wish more had been done with it before then--perhaps in more subtle ways, because Iwasn't sure if the universe was actually shrinking or if Tommy had been a figment of Ozzie's imagination to start with. I suppose a combination thereof.
There was a lot going on here and it worked really well. The sideplots all weaved quite seamlessly through and I enjoyed how each character had their own motivation.
Also, hell yes to projecting that high school love doesn't need to last!!!
Some nice quotes:
"Just . . . don't get so focused on where you're going that you forget the people you're traveling with. There's no point reaching a destination if you arrive alone" (222).
"Everyone we meet begins as a stranger, so we project onto them who we need them to be until we get to know them. He said we gave to fall in love with the idea of a person before we can fall in love with the actual person" (271).
I liked the concept a lot in theory, and I adored it in the last fifth or so, but I wish more had been done with it before then--perhaps in more subtle ways, because I
There was a lot going on here and it worked really well. The sideplots all weaved quite seamlessly through and I enjoyed how each character had their own motivation.
Some nice quotes:
"Just . . . don't get so focused on where you're going that you forget the people you're traveling with. There's no point reaching a destination if you arrive alone" (222).
"Everyone we meet begins as a stranger, so we project onto them who we need them to be until we get to know them. He said we gave to fall in love with the idea of a person before we can fall in love with the actual person" (271).