Written by Marissa Levien, Book 45 of 2021
“One thing that is true about humanity there will always be those who push the limits of stability and survival just to say they can. They scale the unscalable mountains. They dive to the impenetrable depths. They love the unlovable person. They will live in the unlivable desert.”
Marissa Levien,
“The World Gives Way“
Without giving anything away, “The World Gives Way” describes the intersection of the lives of two strangers at the end of the world. Overall I really enjoyed this book. The characters’ plight forced me to think about what truly matters and consider the implications of the destruction of the vulnerable environment that we all live in. One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the cinematic descriptions. I could clearly visualize this as a film or tv series. I know it’s a trope that “The book was better” when talking about adaptations but in this case, I would likely disagree. As a person who primarily reads for character depth, I was disappointed in the predictability and lack of nuance the characters displayed but was compelled to the end by the engaging plot.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC.
Recommended for: Folks who favor stories of world building, science fiction fans.
Content Warnings: Apocalypse, Slavery, Fatalism, Drugs, Addiction, Death of a Parent, Violence, Displacement