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A review by thatswhatshanread
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This book was so frustrating. It took a very serious, tragic topic and made it it into something clearly written for sales and the hopes that some of its weird one-liners would be regarded as profound.
Yes, it’s a fast read, and no, it doesn’t glorify school shooters. But everything else about it was so wrong, and didn’t do real life mass shooting survivors and victims any justice. The lack of research on the subject is obvious, which is incredibly disheartening. To me, the book just seemed like a grab for money.
The characters were so one-dimensional, and the familial relationships were confusing because of their lack of depth one minute, and their dialogue being the opposite the next minute. All of the different POVs could’ve honestly been the same person. That’s how little each character differed from the next. None of them stood out except for the school shooter, who was also very cookie-cutter evil from start to finish, giving in to every stereotype, written very lazily IMO, which really diminished the severe gravity of an event like this. None of the characters faltered from their specified roles, unfortunately rendering most of the story rather forgettable.
Also, the town the story is set in is called Opportunity, and was name dropped beyond proclivity. Which just angered me even more. The writing in general was just not great.
Yes, it’s a fast read, and no, it doesn’t glorify school shooters. But everything else about it was so wrong, and didn’t do real life mass shooting survivors and victims any justice. The lack of research on the subject is obvious, which is incredibly disheartening. To me, the book just seemed like a grab for money.
The characters were so one-dimensional, and the familial relationships were confusing because of their lack of depth one minute, and their dialogue being the opposite the next minute. All of the different POVs could’ve honestly been the same person. That’s how little each character differed from the next. None of them stood out except for the school shooter, who was also very cookie-cutter evil from start to finish, giving in to every stereotype, written very lazily IMO, which really diminished the severe gravity of an event like this. None of the characters faltered from their specified roles, unfortunately rendering most of the story rather forgettable.
Also, the town the story is set in is called Opportunity, and was name dropped beyond proclivity. Which just angered me even more. The writing in general was just not great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Cursing