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Megan Abbott knows how to write a hell of a gut-punching
book. I've been a fan of hers for some time now, and "The End of Everything"
only increases my respect for her writing ability.
In TEOE, Abbott takes a common tween/teen experience, the crush on the older man, and mercilessly exploits that teenage fantasy to show the true horror of possibility. That friend of your father's, or friend of your school companion, the one you secretly hoped would fall in love with you even before you knew what you really wanted? The one you day-dreamed about, because at heart you knew it was safe to dream? Yeah, well what if it wasn't safe? What if he was just as obsessed with you and had nothing left to lose? "End" is short, but brutal. The thirteen year old narrator, Lizzie, is well... just so profoundly thirteen. She's a mix of lust and confusion and desire and wanting to be grown-up, and just trying her hardest to fulfill her young dreams. Her innocent eyes only magnify the horror of what is going on around her, because as an adult reader we can read between the lines of what she tells us. There's a constant sensation of wanting to protect her, to tell her to to get away. In the end, even while the main plot threads have been resolved, you can't help but feel that there are deeper issues yet to surface. Lizzie and Evie have a long journey ahead of them, and it's bittersweet to imagine them growing out of that desperate age and becoming adults.-- Sarah L. |
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