4.0
At the Edge of the Universe
ByPublisher Description
From the author of We Are the Ants comes “another winner” (Booklist, starred review) about a boy who believes the universe is slowly shrinking as the things he remembers are being erased from others’ memories.
Tommy and Ozzie have been best friends since the second grade, and boyfriends since eighth. They spent countless days dreaming of escaping their small town—and then Tommy vanished.
More accurately, he ceased to exist, erased from the minds and memories of everyone who knew him. Everyone except Ozzie.
Ozzie doesn’t know how to navigate life without Tommy, and soon he suspects that something else is going on: that the universe is shrinking.
When Ozzie is paired up with the reclusive and secretive Calvin for a physics project, it’s hard for him to deny the feelings developing between them, even if he still loves Tommy.
But Ozzie knows there isn’t much time left to find Tommy—that once the door closes, it can’t be opened again. And he’s determined to keep it open as long as possible.
Tommy and Ozzie have been best friends since the second grade, and boyfriends since eighth. They spent countless days dreaming of escaping their small town—and then Tommy vanished.
More accurately, he ceased to exist, erased from the minds and memories of everyone who knew him. Everyone except Ozzie.
Ozzie doesn’t know how to navigate life without Tommy, and soon he suspects that something else is going on: that the universe is shrinking.
When Ozzie is paired up with the reclusive and secretive Calvin for a physics project, it’s hard for him to deny the feelings developing between them, even if he still loves Tommy.
But Ozzie knows there isn’t much time left to find Tommy—that once the door closes, it can’t be opened again. And he’s determined to keep it open as long as possible.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesAt the Edge of the Universe Reviews
4.0
“actual rating: 3.5
this book is sad. dolorous, perhaps. but in spite of that, it is an honest, raw image of the universe and growing up. the premise is set in the incoming end of the world, but the author's words bring nothing but safety and comfort.
my one critique of this book is that at a certain point, the trauma and melancholy feel nearly melodramatic. repeatedly engulfing a character in sorrow and almost snatching the love and beauty in their life does not equate to deep or provocative writing. also, the main character is named oswald pinkerton, which sounds far too much like a victorian lord. and why can teenage boys in contemporary literature always be either massively horny or more philosophical than enlightenment itself? it's giving ancient greece.
regardless, this was a hopeful and bittersweet read that i recommend. the diversity feels authentic instead of forced in for performative inclusivity that flattens characters into caricatures of what is usually their race or sexual orientation. the cast is genuinely instead of superficially diverse, shown in family, class, interests, history, and general outlook on life, while still differing from each other in terms of race, gender, and sexuality. this is one of my main problems with ya literature, so this was refreshing.
tl;dr: enjoyable, though excessively sad imo. trigger warnings for abuse, grooming, domestic violence, rape, and drug abuse.”
About Shaun David Hutchinson
Shaun David Hutchinson is the author of numerous books for young adults, including The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried, The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza, At the Edge of the Universe, and We Are the Ants. He also edited the anthologies Violent Ends and Feral Youth and wrote the memoir Brave Face, which chronicles his struggles with depression and coming out during his teenage years. He lives in Seattle, where he enjoys drinking coffee, yelling at the TV, and eating cake. Visit him at ShaunDavidHutchinson.com or on Twitter @ShaunieDarko.
Other books by Shaun David Hutchinson
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