At the End of the World

August 21, 2023
Four months ago, teenage Aisha—along with the rest of the world—found out that an asteroid is projected to destroy Earth in less than a year. For the past two years, Aisha has lived alone with her mother in Penang, Malaysia, ever since Aisha’s father died and her sister June walked out on them; realizing they have limited time left, Aisha and her mother resolve to find June. Aisha asks her boyfriend and his family to come along, and the group travel together across the country to Melaka with a stray cat named Fleabag. Aisha’s despair over her search for June and the oncoming end of the world manifests in increasing anger and irritability, and Walter’s seemingly relentlessly positive attitude causes a rift between the teens. The trip provides the families with opportunities to reflect on their lives, strengthen their bonds, admit their most private thoughts, and process their grief. Though revealing flashbacks interwoven throughout occasionally disrupt narrative flow, they also offer vibrant and emotionally raw looks into the protagonists’ relationship with loss, the past, and each other. Using poetic prose, debut author Mikail highlights the power of hope and reconciliation amid impending devastation and dread. Ages 13–up.

November 1, 2023

Gr 6 Up-Aisha was 10 years old when her father died. She was 15 when her sister June left, never to be heard from again. Now at 18, her life is once again upended when a planet-killing asteroid is headed toward Earth. With less than a year left before impact, it is time to reunite what's left of her broken family. Setting out with her supportive boyfriend Walter; her closed-off mother Esah; Walter's parents; and stray cat Fleabag, Aisha travels across Malaysia to find June. Short chapters cut with flashbacks give in-depth glances into Aisha's past as each family member tries in their own way to cope with the aftermath of repeated devastation. Readers will relate to Aisha's journey as she struggles with emotions that are equally expected and unforeseeable. Unlike most end of the world stories, the extended deadline gives plenty of time to digest the bittersweet memories and dreamlike reflections. Aisha and Walter's relationship is a highlight, offering sweet and steady support for her as she lashes out, while also acknowledging Walter's own struggle to accept the end of the world. Malaysian and Indonesian references ground the setting in a heavily character-driven story. While the open ending may not satisfy every reader, hope is sure to resonate. VERDICT Fans of Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End will find much to relate to in this emotional exploration of the end of the world.-Elisha Sheffer

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Starred review from October 15, 2023
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Earth was given one year of warning to prepare for an asteroid strike that will end all life on the planet. Soon after came riots and upheaval, then a long despair, and finally widespread acceptance. For Aisha and her mother, getting their final affairs in order includes reaching out to Aisha's estranged sister, June, who left several years before. The prospect of seeing June again is bittersweet for Aisha. She blames June for abandoning her and her mother so soon after their father's death, for stranding her with a life unlived--a university that will never be attended, exciting experiences as a young professional that will never be enjoyed, a future that will never escape the present. Still, along with her boyfriend's family, Aisha accompanies her mother on one last tour of Malaysia to find June and be a family together at the end of the world. Haunting is the perfect word for this novel. Bereft of fantastic schemes to avert the coming disaster or overwrought melodrama, this story instead opts for an elegiac, personal story that extols familial and community relationships and highlights how pivotal memory and storytelling are to the human endeavor. Key to the success of this approach is Mikhail's sparse prose that somehow conveys the weightiest emotions with the most delicate of touches. An incredible, soulful debut.

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Starred review from September 1, 2023
A looming apocalypse leads a family to heal their estrangement. Seventeen-year-old Aisha's older sister, June, left home three years ago, trying to escape the emotional burden of dealing with her mother's depression and strict rules. The quick succession of family tragedies--the deaths of Aisha's father and maternal grandparents and uncle--affected each of them in different ways. Now, with a devastating asteroid set to collide with Earth and put an end to humanity, Aisha and her mother set out to find June. Walter, Aisha's boyfriend, along with his parents and a stray cat they name Fleabag, join mother and daughter in a road trip across Malaysia. They meander, making pivotal pit stops that reflect cherished memories and support the characters' emotional journeys. Once they find June, feelings of grief, abandonment, and simmering resentment surface, but they slowly give way to understanding and reconciliation. Aisha's family is Muslim and cued Malay; Walter's presents as Chinese and South Asian in heritage. The heartfelt writing evocatively portrays the complex emotions within close relationships; the bewildering sense of loss in not being able to experience a full life is thoughtfully expressed by both Walter and Aisha. The characters seem so resigned to their impending deaths, however, that framing the story around an apocalyptic event feels unnecessary. Though the situations are easily resolved and some of the metaphors feel overdone, the different landscapes and cultural touches give readers a glimpse of a rich and historied land. A quietly reflective novel enveloped in hope. (Fiction. 12-18)

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