The End We Start From

Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Cover image and synopsis from Goodreads:

In the midst of a mysterious environmental crisis, as London is submerged below flood waters, a woman gives birth to her first child, Z. Days later, the family are forced to leave their home in search of safety. As they move from place to place, shelter to shelter, their journey traces both fear and wonder as Z's small fists grasp at the things he sees, as he grows and stretches, thriving and content against all the odds.

This is a story of new motherhood in a terrifying setting: a familiar world made dangerous and unstable, its people forced to become refugees. Startlingly beautiful, Megan Hunter's The End We Start From is a gripping novel that paints an imagined future as realistic as it is frightening. And yet, though the country is falling apart around them, this family’s world – of new life and new hope – sings with love.

This is a slim book, with a really pretty cover, and I was interested in how such a small book would tell its story.

Much of the writing is so lovely, but I really struggled to follow the story, keep characters straight (they are only referred to by the first letter of their names), and to feel pulled into the book. It just didn’t feel like there was much going on, and as much as I wanted to like this one, I don’t know that I really did.

I know some readers have really loved this, so I may be the odd one out here. The author definitely has a way with words, but I think the format / style didn’t quite work for me.