Ways the world could end

First Title Value for Searching:

Personal Author:

Hooper, Kim

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

319 pages ; 24 cm.

Genre:

Psychological fiction.

Summary:

"Ways the World Could End is a story of grief, friendship, and love--the love between parents and children, between spouses, between teenagers, between strangers. It is a story that asks us to consider what we can and cannot forgive, and reminds us that often the hardest thing to forgive is ourselves"--

Subject Term:

Fathers and daughters -- Fiction.

Autistic people -- Fiction.

Loss (Psychology) -- Fiction

Publication Info:

Nashville, Tennessee : Keylight Books/Turner Publishing Company, [2022]

Subject:

Fathers and daughters -- Fiction.

Autistic people -- Fiction.

Loss (Psychology) -- Fiction

Psychological fiction.

Daughters and fathers

Autism -- Patients

SAILS ISBN:

9781684428007

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Foxboro - Boyden Library	FIC HOOPER	FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Richards Memorial Library	HOOPER	FICTION	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist for Best General Fiction

Dave is a Dad with Asperger's.

He sees the world differently than most, and he feels like he has no idea what he's doing when it comes to raising his 15-year-old daughter, Cleo. She also feels like he has no idea what he's doing, especially now that her mom is gone.

They were both better off when Jana was around--Dave's wife, Cleo's mother. But now she's not, and they are left to figure out life on their own. Dave dedicates his attention to his newfound hobby of doomsday prepping, researching the various ways the world could end. Cleo feels like her world already has.

Everything changes when neighbors move in, threatening their isolation in the hills of San Juan Capistrano. Cleo is intrigued by the new girl, Edie, and soon finds out the intrigue is mutual. Dave, not at all intrigued, is forced to come to terms with everything he cannot control.

As they struggle to live in the present, both Dave and Cleo must dare to revisit the tragic past they share. What happened to Jana? Who was she, really? Who are they without her?

Ways the World Could End is a story of grief, friendship, and love--the love between parents and children, between spouses, between teenagers, and between strangers. It is a story that requires us to consider the bounds of forgiveness, what we're willing and not willing to forgive, and reminds us that often the hardest thing to forgive is ourselves.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Hooper (All the Acorns on the Forest Floor) offers an insightful and finely crafted look at how a family copes with grief. There's Dave Garrison, a doomsday-obsessed and neurodivergent widower, and his 15-year-old daughter, Cleo. Each tries in their own ways to deal with the loss of Dave's wife and Cleo's mom, Jana, in what the reader eventually learns was a violent incident. Their story unfolds in alternating narration from their home in the isolated San Juan Capistrano hills of Orange County, Calif. Dave's chapters open with various doomsday scenarios (a volcano, an earthquake, bio-warfare) that fuel his preoccupation with building a bunker to keep his family safe. A few years into their marriage, Dave and Jana see a therapist and he gets what he calls "The Label," his diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. This brings relief to Jana, and helps her understand his trouble with emotions. As the truth slowly emerges about Jana's death, the author wrenchingly portrays its devastating circumstances and outcome. Hooper also realistically conveys how Dave navigates life with ASD and effectively captures Cleo's teen angst as she becomes enamored of the new girl in her class. This memorable and stirring story of survival brings the goods. (May)

Booklist Review

Dave is on the autism spectrum, but it's the least of his worries. His wife, Jana, has died, and he's raising his 15-year-old daughter, Cleo, alone. Cleo, devastated by her loss, is struggling to navigate her new world. She's also exploring her bisexual identity, falling hard for Edie, a new girl at school. Cleo is embarrassed by her father's "different" actions, including his propensity to imagine catastrophes. Dave's doomsday prepping includes building a bunker below their home and storing supplies. As Cleo and Edie's relationship deepens, Edie becomes curious about the circumstances of Jana's death. Dave and Cleo must finally face the reality they've avoided for months. Jana's bizarre accident has scarred them both, and they've pushed away the healing they need. Dave's unique voice, inspired by Hooper's own husband, draws the reader into the story, and Cleo's voice brings a distinct contrast. Dave's family occasionally comes across as disappointed by his diagnosis, and this is off-putting, but Cleo and Edie's relationship is joyful, and there's a lot of humor for such heavy subject matter.