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A review by ainsleyexe
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Book 3 in the Bookshelf Unhaul Series.
1.0 star.
The first time I read this book, I was in the middle of a traumatic 5-day trip to Toronto, and I've decided to fully blame that for my initial 4-star rating. I had precisely 1 brain cell left after getting approximately 6 hours of sleep across 4 days; that is the only explanation for why I enjoyed this wildly mediocre, almost offensive book. It was simply the least of many evils.
This book throws away any potential for a nuanced, meaningful story about a problem that has plagued American schools since the 70s for a bland, boring, black-and-white tale that comes to the resounding conclusion that "shooter bad". Wow, thanks for sharing that. All of the characters feel like cardboard cutouts of diversity; there is no real dive into any of their complex identities, cultural backgrounds, histories, or really, character building of any kind. They are simply reduced to "immigrant bad boy" or "Latina lesbian", and it is a massive disservice to not only the story, but the representation that the story touts. These characters aren't complex, realistic humans- they are like sock puppets that the author pushes around, all performs in the same voice (except for the occasional grossly misplaced dios mio) and occasionally has them reference queerness or something. They are the most milquetoast interpretations of diversity imaginable. As well, the story feels so slow, but not in a reflective way; it feels like the author is padding pages. It tells the story in dullest way possible- straight, chronological, linear. There is no pace change, no dynamic- just straight through. And finally, we arrive our shooter, Tyler. What a one-note, bland character. No real effort is made to explore his motivations, his feelings, even his thoughts- he just waves a gun around for a while, shoots some extraneous characters and the author then announces through a metaphorical loudspeaker that "shooters are bad". I didn't know that, thanks for sharing! It comes to the single most obvious, uninteresting and uncomplicated thesis possible. For all these reasons, I will be getting rid of this book.
1.0 star.
The first time I read this book, I was in the middle of a traumatic 5-day trip to Toronto, and I've decided to fully blame that for my initial 4-star rating. I had precisely 1 brain cell left after getting approximately 6 hours of sleep across 4 days; that is the only explanation for why I enjoyed this wildly mediocre, almost offensive book. It was simply the least of many evils.
This book throws away any potential for a nuanced, meaningful story about a problem that has plagued American schools since the 70s for a bland, boring, black-and-white tale that comes to the resounding conclusion that "shooter bad". Wow, thanks for sharing that. All of the characters feel like cardboard cutouts of diversity; there is no real dive into any of their complex identities, cultural backgrounds, histories, or really, character building of any kind. They are simply reduced to "immigrant bad boy" or "Latina lesbian", and it is a massive disservice to not only the story, but the representation that the story touts. These characters aren't complex, realistic humans- they are like sock puppets that the author pushes around, all performs in the same voice (except for the occasional grossly misplaced dios mio) and occasionally has them reference queerness or something. They are the most milquetoast interpretations of diversity imaginable. As well, the story feels so slow, but not in a reflective way; it feels like the author is padding pages. It tells the story in dullest way possible- straight, chronological, linear. There is no pace change, no dynamic- just straight through. And finally, we arrive our shooter, Tyler. What a one-note, bland character. No real effort is made to explore his motivations, his feelings, even his thoughts- he just waves a gun around for a while, shoots some extraneous characters and the author then announces through a metaphorical loudspeaker that "shooters are bad". I didn't know that, thanks for sharing! It comes to the single most obvious, uninteresting and uncomplicated thesis possible. For all these reasons, I will be getting rid of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Injury/Injury detail