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A review by aryelee
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What a novel! I have never seen an apocalyptic setting like this before, full of desperate people trying to survive while the worst of American Christianity sets out to cause more destruction. Truly an incredible portrayal of religious trauma, especially in queer folks who struggle with who they are and their place in the world when they find they can't stay in a place that wants them dead. Be warned that there is a LOT of body horror and gore in this novel, but it works very, very well to achieve its goal.
My absolute favorite aspect of this novel is how empathy is Benji's greatest strength. He does his best to connect to the teenagers in the ALC who take him in, he understands the pain of the monsters created by the Flood, he even empathizes withTheo after his betrayal and attack, to the point that even I couldn't be mad at Theo when the rest of the Church had done so much worse, even to him.
This is a very dark world and dark narrative. I can see why this isn't everyone's cup of tea. But I flew through these pages, loved the writing style, and how people are the focus and the forces of the world/narrative. I'm fine without having a detailed explanation on everything! I don't need to know absolutely everything about the Seraph and how it's a monster, a separate being, inside Benji changing him while also being a metaphor for being trans while growing up in an environment that portrays transness as evil or monstrous. This is a very contained world; it's the remains of one town. There is a world still out there past the bridge, but we never cross it. Everything happens in one place, and we know all we need to know about it. Not once did I feel overwhelmed by the author trying to shove as much worldbuilding information on the page as possible. No, this took all the time it needed, kept a strong focus on Benji and Nick, and left off at a hopeful note.
Hell certainly did follow with us, but there's a life past hell worth living. Benji has made his way there despite everything. I hope the readers who need this book get there too.
My absolute favorite aspect of this novel is how empathy is Benji's greatest strength. He does his best to connect to the teenagers in the ALC who take him in, he understands the pain of the monsters created by the Flood, he even empathizes with
This is a very dark world and dark narrative. I can see why this isn't everyone's cup of tea. But I flew through these pages, loved the writing style, and how people are the focus and the forces of the world/narrative. I'm fine without having a detailed explanation on everything! I don't need to know absolutely everything about the Seraph and how it's a monster, a separate being, inside Benji changing him while also being a metaphor for being trans while growing up in an environment that portrays transness as evil or monstrous. This is a very contained world; it's the remains of one town. There is a world still out there past the bridge, but we never cross it. Everything happens in one place, and we know all we need to know about it. Not once did I feel overwhelmed by the author trying to shove as much worldbuilding information on the page as possible. No, this took all the time it needed, kept a strong focus on Benji and Nick, and left off at a hopeful note.
Hell certainly did follow with us, but there's a life past hell worth living. Benji has made his way there despite everything. I hope the readers who need this book get there too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic