How far would you go to save those you love?
Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion.
Their idyllic life is torn apart when a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide who to save and who to sacrifice . .
Review:
Okay, you can call me a fan now. Lauren James is a skilled master of the plot twist. I’ve been stuck in bed for the last couple of days with a GI related flare up. Thank goodness for books like this that can keep a girl occupied. It’s been this and season two of the Circle…Any way, this book had one plot twist after another. There was one point where I literally yelled out, “No way!” If I were any where but in my bed, I’d be embarrassed.
The book starts out like the movie Children of Men, and then it branches out into so many other directions. I find it hard to review/talk about without giving away things. So, I’m going to try to be vague here on purpose. Just know the book is part dystopia, part sci-fi, part Indiana Jones style adventure story, part romance, and part political thriller…..It jumps back and forth between the current day (which is actually way into the future when most of humankind is extinct), and the past when people are discovering they can’t have children anymore.
As you can imagine, technology has advanced, a lot. But, also some things have gone to hell. Like whole cities have gone to waste because there’s not enough people to populate them. Apps for raising electronic babies were created in the past (that is after all the mass kidnappings) and Lowrie and Shen are reading about it all while under the ultimate countdown clock to save what is left of the world. If you like a crazy, suspense driven plot, look no further!
Also, being the last two kids (aka: teens) has its downsides. It’s almost expected that they will fall in love. And they do. However, it’s a little complicated. Lowrie is bisexual and doesn’t exactly have the chance to be with anyone else of any other gender (all the other people are so much older). It’s definitely a uniquely diverse book. Shen has a hearing impairment. I love that he speaks two languages (English and Chinese). There’s a character in the past that’s trans and another who’s pansexual.
And to top it all off, I was reading this at such a strange moment. I’m reading a book about the ending of humanity (due to a global pandemic), at the end of a real life global pandemic. I literally just read an article about Covid and fertility, and how pregnant mothers should not be concerned about getting the vaccine minutes before starting this book. And it’s kind of eerie sometimes how relatable dystopias are to real life. But, this might have taken the cake. I got this book in Paris (in 2019), before everything all started, so the the author clearly wrote it years before Covid….but still. Sometimes fiction is a little too close to nonfiction. Not that the other stuff in here is happening….just, every now and then I’d put the book down and think about it.
I enjoyed the fast pace. I loved the plot twists. The concept was awesome, if at times a little too close to home. The characters were believable. The romance was good too. I give this a 9/10.
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