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A review by bee_hensh
The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson
Title: The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza
Author: Shaun David Hutchinson
Publication: 2018
Difficulty Level: 1/5
My Rating: 3.5/5
Elena doesn't want to be the Miracle Girl, but when she accidentally starts the apocalypse--at a Starbucks no less--she has to figure out who's worth saving and why any of it matters at all.
I bought this book on a whim and I was taken in right from the first page. Hutchinson gives Elena a witty, relateable voice that draws you in. From her thoughts on cleaning espresso machine steam wands, to her irritation at the voices in her head (literally) are all delivered with the same normalcy one might expect in some other contemporary novel. But this isn't some other contemporary novel. This is something filled to the brim with existential crisis, identity crisis, and every other kind of crisis you could possibly throw at a teenager.
I found Hutchinson's treatment of sexuality refreshing and uplifting. It was nice to see many different queer and questioning characters alongside one another in a perfectly normal situation (if you ignore the whole end-of-the-world-thing). It was also comforting for this representation to exist without the entire story having to be about that. Finally, I found it showed an at least somewhat accurate reflection of modern teenage views on gender and sexuality that I haven't seen often without it feeling forced. It's easy to forget how open gen z and millenials are about those things when books about and for them are written by older generations. So one point to Hutchison, there.
Another reason this book felt so modern is the diversity (of sexuality, gender, religion, and ethnicity) it presented. Elena's questioning of the voices that speak to her is constantly in conversation with her best friend Fadil's faith and belief in Allah. Many characters give their two-cents on higher beings, humanity's existence, fate, and religious beliefs, and none of it cancels out what anyone else says.
Although I enjoyed the contrast of normal school life and the coming apocalypse, I found it frustrating at moments just waiting for a decision to be made. Elena spends much of the novel trying to figure out what to do about all this responsibility she's been given, and though her progress to this discovery is roadblocked by other, more pressing matters, the story feels like it backtracks and stalls, waiting for the plot to catch up with character development.
The writing is clean and easy to follow. There were dozens of quotable moments and sections that made me cry. Other than the stalling middle, there isn't much I can fault this book for. If you're looking for something semi-light, current (there's plenty of Trump-related content), and just generally different (something's got to be said about the premise here), I would highly recommend this book, if only because of the hilarious opening scene (seriously, how did Hutchinson transcribe my exact thoughts while I'm working into Elena's mind?).
Author: Shaun David Hutchinson
Publication: 2018
Difficulty Level: 1/5
My Rating: 3.5/5
Elena doesn't want to be the Miracle Girl, but when she accidentally starts the apocalypse--at a Starbucks no less--she has to figure out who's worth saving and why any of it matters at all.
I bought this book on a whim and I was taken in right from the first page. Hutchinson gives Elena a witty, relateable voice that draws you in. From her thoughts on cleaning espresso machine steam wands, to her irritation at the voices in her head (literally) are all delivered with the same normalcy one might expect in some other contemporary novel. But this isn't some other contemporary novel. This is something filled to the brim with existential crisis, identity crisis, and every other kind of crisis you could possibly throw at a teenager.
I found Hutchinson's treatment of sexuality refreshing and uplifting. It was nice to see many different queer and questioning characters alongside one another in a perfectly normal situation (if you ignore the whole end-of-the-world-thing). It was also comforting for this representation to exist without the entire story having to be about that. Finally, I found it showed an at least somewhat accurate reflection of modern teenage views on gender and sexuality that I haven't seen often without it feeling forced. It's easy to forget how open gen z and millenials are about those things when books about and for them are written by older generations. So one point to Hutchison, there.
Another reason this book felt so modern is the diversity (of sexuality, gender, religion, and ethnicity) it presented. Elena's questioning of the voices that speak to her is constantly in conversation with her best friend Fadil's faith and belief in Allah. Many characters give their two-cents on higher beings, humanity's existence, fate, and religious beliefs, and none of it cancels out what anyone else says.
Although I enjoyed the contrast of normal school life and the coming apocalypse, I found it frustrating at moments just waiting for a decision to be made. Elena spends much of the novel trying to figure out what to do about all this responsibility she's been given, and though her progress to this discovery is roadblocked by other, more pressing matters, the story feels like it backtracks and stalls, waiting for the plot to catch up with character development.
The writing is clean and easy to follow. There were dozens of quotable moments and sections that made me cry. Other than the stalling middle, there isn't much I can fault this book for. If you're looking for something semi-light, current (there's plenty of Trump-related content), and just generally different (something's got to be said about the premise here), I would highly recommend this book, if only because of the hilarious opening scene (seriously, how did Hutchinson transcribe my exact thoughts while I'm working into Elena's mind?).