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A review by montigneyrules
Last Day by Domenica Ruta
2.0
#readingchallenge2020 (my book that begins with an L)
Ruta’s odd, yet fascinating, novel depicts various character’s journeys of self-discovery, as they observe the holiday Last Day. Celebrated every May, Last Day is an ‘incoming apocalypse’, celebrated in a variety of ways by different countries and cultures. The appeal of the novel lies within following the character’s view of the holiday, whether they felt it to be real or to be a metaphorical ‘figurehead’ of a holiday, and therefore how they so choose to celebrate; atone, amend, forgive, party, no excuses to try something new.
The overall concept did present some creative narratives, ideal for book club discussions, both on a higher level and on an individual story level i.e (higher level) how would you spend your last day (individual level) would you get a tattoo from their shop, what would you put on your Last Day t-shirt. This look at traditions was imaginative. note: there is a fantastic Parks & Rec episode about Last Day believers I could not stop thinking about
However, I felt the novel as a whole would have been more intriguing as short, individualized stories that immediately started and stopped all together versus a back and forth. I felt the novel started out strong, presenting each character, but petered throughout the day, as the novel progressed, losing the emotional pull. (This becomes really evident with the last few chapters of the novel-when new characters & their observances are just rattled off-this should have been the majority of the novel, and just call label it short stories).
Ruta’s odd, yet fascinating, novel depicts various character’s journeys of self-discovery, as they observe the holiday Last Day. Celebrated every May, Last Day is an ‘incoming apocalypse’, celebrated in a variety of ways by different countries and cultures. The appeal of the novel lies within following the character’s view of the holiday, whether they felt it to be real or to be a metaphorical ‘figurehead’ of a holiday, and therefore how they so choose to celebrate; atone, amend, forgive, party, no excuses to try something new.
The overall concept did present some creative narratives, ideal for book club discussions, both on a higher level and on an individual story level i.e (higher level) how would you spend your last day (individual level) would you get a tattoo from their shop, what would you put on your Last Day t-shirt. This look at traditions was imaginative. note: there is a fantastic Parks & Rec episode about Last Day believers I could not stop thinking about
However, I felt the novel as a whole would have been more intriguing as short, individualized stories that immediately started and stopped all together versus a back and forth. I felt the novel started out strong, presenting each character, but petered throughout the day, as the novel progressed, losing the emotional pull. (This becomes really evident with the last few chapters of the novel-when new characters & their observances are just rattled off-this should have been the majority of the novel, and just call label it short stories).