A review by leduyhxxng
All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Going through All That's Left in the World feels like loving—everywhere, it radiates love. Not the intimate kind often ascribed to romance. (Friendships, other kinds of platonic connections, can go deep, too.) But the expansive feeling for humanity, for goodness. To hurt, but to give people the benefit of the doubt, regardless. Following the story feels like a love practice, to love, to hurt, but choose to love once again. Two reasons for the rating of four stars. The first quarter was not as captivating as the last three. (It could do with some added sense of suspense.) And the two main characters, in the beginning, weren't as clearly portrayed as when they started their post-apocalyptic adventure, and thus one of them, Andrew, seemed as if he had a sudden, out-of-pocket change. (I get it—character development. But it could do with a bit more characterisation.) Overall, I think the author was very deft at portraying dynamics between the characters, as well as building suspense (specifically towards the latter half of the novel). And we, certainly, need more post-apocalyptic queer stories like this.
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