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Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
1 review
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a post-apocalyptic hero’s journey. One with a few surprising twists along the way. Fertility woes known as the Gelding have caused the world’s population to plummet and most of the trappings of civilisation we are familiar with have fallen away. Griz and his family live a fairly self-sufficient life on an island off the coast of Scotland. One day they are visited by a trader who steals Griz’s beloved dog Jess. So Griz of course sets off in hot pursuit. It took me a while to get into this book. I put it down twice before hitting the 50 page mark and was fully expecting to DNF it but it turns out third time was a charm. The story was propulsive with Griz encountering a range of heart-pounding dangers and setbacks, plus a couple of interesting characters, along the way. Many chapters ended on a cliffhanger, with a touch of foreshadowing or a bit of a twist which obviously encouraged the reading of one more chapter. Initially the book read rather young and felt suited for a YA if not middle grade audience. But as it progressed it became darker with more adult themes and situations. His encounter with the Cons who aimed to conserve the human population and repopulate the world, and thus kept their “breeders” (ie girls and women) locked up for this purpose is a prime example.
Griz was an admirable hero - likeable, resourceful and realistic - who matured over the course of his quest. I enjoyed the descriptions of the natural world, not to mention Griz’s love of animals and books, especially the way he referred to things he remembered or lessons he’d gleaned from fiction. Like all good speculative fiction it has lessons for us in the current world, things that brought me up short and made me think. This quote about the Cons caught my eye - “These people are dangerous because they think they are doing this because a god wants them to do it. It means they don’t have to think like humans.”
This is an adventurous book, but relatively quiet for a dystopian novel. It comes with a couple of key twists, and although I spotted them both ahead of time that didn’t diminish my enjoyment.
Griz was an admirable hero - likeable, resourceful and realistic - who matured over the course of his quest. I enjoyed the descriptions of the natural world, not to mention Griz’s love of animals and books, especially the way he referred to things he remembered or lessons he’d gleaned from fiction. Like all good speculative fiction it has lessons for us in the current world, things that brought me up short and made me think. This quote about the Cons caught my eye - “These people are dangerous because they think they are doing this because a god wants them to do it. It means they don’t have to think like humans.”
This is an adventurous book, but relatively quiet for a dystopian novel. It comes with a couple of key twists, and although I spotted them both ahead of time that didn’t diminish my enjoyment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
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