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A review by lisibee815
Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Jane and Dan are celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary, at a restaurant that's way out of their budget (but Dan has a coupon!), when their restaurant date is rudely interrupted by armed extremists. Jane, the author of one wildly unsuccessful published novel, suddenly finds that life is mirroring events in her book way too closely for coincidence. Prior to the date Jane was gearing up to divorce her husband, the sweet but seemingly clueless Dan. Jane and Dan are just two imperfect people, raising two imperfect children, who have become a bit complacent in the mundanity of their mid-lives but then are thrust into a life-altering situation. Will the shared danger bring them closer or just prove that their differences are too vast to stay together?
This was an engaging and absorbing book with much to unpack re: marital roles, the trials of parenthood, individuality vs. familial identity, and the weight of personal happiness. Domestic drama and existential crises fight for attention amidst the unfolding hostage situation as Jane and Dan try to figure out what's happening and why, both with the divorce bombshell Jane drops and the reason that terrorists have targeted the uber-expensive and exclusive restaurant where they happen to be spending their anniversary dinner. This story was a bit more twisty and tense than I expected, but in a good way, and it was nicely tempered by subtle humor throughout. Dual 3rd-person POVs, alternating between Jane and Dan's perspective. I found that Jane was a tricky character to warm up to. The anger over her marriage initially numbed her to the events in the restaurant, but she was already striking out at Dan before events started happening, and she comes across as self-centered at times. Dan seems earnest but maybe a little oblivious and not terribly introspective, although for large portions of the book neither of them seemed hugely self-aware. I found the ending to be satisfying, with enough surprises along the way to keep me reading to the end. If you enjoy imaginative and dryly funny writing, heists with a few twists and turns, and mid-life existential crises laced with relationship drama then you'll love this book! Publishes March 11, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC of this book, this is my objective review.
This was an engaging and absorbing book with much to unpack re: marital roles, the trials of parenthood, individuality vs. familial identity, and the weight of personal happiness. Domestic drama and existential crises fight for attention amidst the unfolding hostage situation as Jane and Dan try to figure out what's happening and why, both with the divorce bombshell Jane drops and the reason that terrorists have targeted the uber-expensive and exclusive restaurant where they happen to be spending their anniversary dinner. This story was a bit more twisty and tense than I expected, but in a good way, and it was nicely tempered by subtle humor throughout. Dual 3rd-person POVs, alternating between Jane and Dan's perspective. I found that Jane was a tricky character to warm up to. The anger over her marriage initially numbed her to the events in the restaurant, but she was already striking out at Dan before events started happening, and she comes across as self-centered at times. Dan seems earnest but maybe a little oblivious and not terribly introspective, although for large portions of the book neither of them seemed hugely self-aware. I found the ending to be satisfying, with enough surprises along the way to keep me reading to the end. If you enjoy imaginative and dryly funny writing, heists with a few twists and turns, and mid-life existential crises laced with relationship drama then you'll love this book! Publishes March 11, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC of this book, this is my objective review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Blood, and Kidnapping