A review by sidneyellwood
At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson

3.0

Okay: for the most part, I really liked this book. Most of this book was 4 stars, solid. I loved We Are the Ants; this book is very similar in that it's sci-fi-ish but mostly contemporary, and deals with loss. In a way, it was nearly too similar - I found both protagonists to be largely the same.

Nevertheless, it was a good book, and it explores a lot of really complex and difficult subjects intertwined with the plot of the universe shrinking, though the sci-fi aspect wasn't as well integrated as I had hoped. Ozzie was a good, sarcastic character; I really enjoyed his narration. Calvin ... oh my god, I loved Calvin and wanted to hug him; he was probably my favourite character. Lua was incredibly badass and so cool.

I really appreciate the diversity - Hutchinson has always written about gay teen boys, but nearly every major teen character is queer - genderfluid, bisexual, asexual. I'm a bit disappointed that the asexual character came at the expense of stereotyping an East Asian boy, making him super smart and asexual.

And now: the ending.

Spoiler

This is the main reason that I knocked it down a star. Because for everyone but Ozzie, nothing in the story fucking happened. It made the story feel inconsequential, and it was never explained in any way. I really wish we'd gotten an explanation or consequences; I wish that Calvin and Ozzie's relationship still remained in some way, and I wish that everything that happened during most of the book still resonated with the characters at the end. It felt futile.