The quiet at the end of the world written by Lauren James follows lowrie, the youngest person on the planet and her best friend Shen as they uncover the past and find out more about what really happened all those years ago when the entire human race became infertile. While finding out everything they knew about life to be a lie but still walking blindly into the future, this is the end of the human race and they need to decide whether they can afford to be more than friends or save their parents.
A character in the novel I found interesting was Shen. I think everyone deserves a friend like him, funny, caring, intelligent. Shen likes to live in the moment but is very observant about his surroundings, he cares for animals, robots and aliens but most importantly Lowrie, he jumps at any task and always tries his best to make those around him comfortable and happy whether they be human or robot. Shen is a well developed character as he sticks to his morals and has a consistant personality throughout the entire novel, “There’s no finish line you need to cross to have lived a worthy life, Lowrie. You don’t need to achieve anything if you don’t want to.” this quote shows readers that Shen is reassuring Lowrie that you have to live for yourself, being the youngest person on the planet doesn’t mean you have to remember everyone that was once here.
A message I took from the text is that to have fun you need to live in the moment Shen and lowrie have their worries about the world but know that they have to make the most of it, they have to stop thinking about the past or what could have been and start living in the present with each other, they are constantly put to the test and are given many opportunities to abandon the life they live in central London and explore the world but are understandably to concerned about those they love. “When you know theres no future, the only thing thats interesting anymore is the past” I believe this quote is a good example of Lowrie not being able to live in the moment because she is so stuck up on the past, the future is an astonishing thing, something that should be looked forward to, because although uncertain it includes you.
Challenges the characters had to face was loneliness. Lowrie and Shen couldnt imagine a world without their parents, a world without being surrounded by old and friendly faces. But they had to be prepared, they have been prepared for the moment they are alone and have to rely on each other and the skills they have been taught for 16 years, they need to quickly grow up and save those they love while under pressure and bare the harsh on their own. I believe there are many different challenges and dangers throughout the novel like their food source running out, drowning and of course losing each other.
The title “the quiet at the end of the world” is a fitting title for the text as it signifies that all alone the world is silent of love and friendships and that without company the world is quiet. This is the scary truth for Lowrie and Shen as they don’t fully know when they will be greeted by the silence at the end of their world.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys books similar to the fault in our stars or looking for Alaska by John Green as they also have a strong friendship/ relationship type of themes which many readers like myself who tend to enjoy.
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