Book Review: How We End by L. M. Juniper
Genre: Sci-Fi
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
According to the blurb, this novel is Last of Us meets The Walking Dead and this is where I have to admit I have neither watched (or played) either of these franchises. I had zero expectations going into this, except that there would be queerness and zombies.
I’m delighted to say this book surprised me in so many positive ways. While I thought the beginning was a little slow, I quickly found myself emotionally invested in both the plot and characters. I adored Jake from the get go (a heavily tattooed trans hipster with a savior complex? Yes please!) and warmed up to Liv as the story progressed. I'm a sucker for found family stories, and loved how each side character's backstory and true nature was gradually revealed throughout the story in moments that mattered instead of in infodumps. There are no one dimensional characters here and the author did a great job at including multiple perspectives and identities both within the group and in the world at large as our core set of characters encounters others in their traverse of England.
While Jake being trans will be apparent from the get go for readers who know their trans, I think readers less familiar with queerness might be surprised by the 'reveal'. I’m not generally a fan of this practice in fiction as I don’t think a character’s gender identity or sexuality should be a plot twist, however, this felt less like a reveal and more a matter of Jake’s gender not really being relevant to the story until it was, at which time it was stated unequivocally. I think this was handled really well by the author without any trans panic or gross anatomical discovery fueling a reveal that feels like Jake was somehow deceiving others.
I also really appreciated Liv’s character and her battle with addiction. Her backstory is a unique one and was explored with empathy and tenderness, holding her accountable while also showing how all people are flawed, and no one is beyond redemption if they are genuinely contrite and work toward making long-lasting positive change. The romantic aspects of this book were handled with just as much care and tenderness as every other theme of the story, and I felt myself really rooting for these characters to succeed.
The plot involving a zombie-making viral outbreak did feel familiar at times but was kept fresh by the UK setting and diverse group of characters, trying to survive the early days of the apocalypse. Imagine 28 Days Later, only with characters who are ultimately kinder and gentler, finding their way in a society that seems less predatory and more compassionate as a whole. While there are certainly some gory moments and some truly hard-hitting deaths (TW: child death), this novel felt a little cozier and more wholesome than some of the other zombie novels I've read. How We End seemed less invested in the horror of the world and more invested in the goodness of the characters, and that made for some much needed refreshingly hopeful reading indeed.
Also, shout out to the audiobook narrators and the overall production which was excellent!
A great read by a new-to-me author. I'll definitely be picking up more by this author.
Find the author on Instagram and their website.
Review By Xan van Rooyen
