A review by asgard793
Last Day by Domenica Ruta

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

I can respect what this booked tried to be: a loosely connected set of characters facing the possibility of the end of the world, but my appreciation ends there. The characters range from astronauts on the ISS, a tattoo artist, a teenage girl to a neuro-atypical group home resident seeking a family. The connections are tenuous to the point of irrelevance with each chapter alternates between characters. The contained time-frame and limited page space for each character gives little for the reader connect with or grow into. There's bursts of beauty in the writing, but each chapter is interrupted by the next, he affect is jarring with little direction. The idea of a Last Day each year and its cultural imprint on societies in the form of celebrations and customs is fascinating, if only this were the focus rather than thinly drawn characters and tedious writing.