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A review by whiskers_and_lipstick
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
So good, but not for everyone.
If one word could describe Hell Followed With Us, it would be TENSE. The synopsis doesn't quite capture the depth of this story - just the vehicle for telling it. I signed on for a survivalist story about a trans teen (Benji) on the run from a religious cult, finding refuge with a group of LGBTQ+ teens fighting to make a life in a post-apocalyptic world where all non-believers are labeled "heretics" and wiped out from the face of te earth. I was expecting The Handmaid's Tale meets The Last of Us. And while those themes are certainly present, HFWU centers on queer rage - the "what if" the queer community actually became the monsters they are made out to be and decided to unleash their fury on those who vilified them?
My husband and I read HFWU together. I was so grateful for that co-reading experience because of how much there was to unpack and reflect on (the weaponization of religious tenants, the cognitive dissonance of those who subscribe to extremist belief systems, the intersectionality of marginalized populations and how that can lend to the occurrence of oppression and discrimination within marginalized communities). What we spent the most time grappling with was all of the ideas about gender identity, transness, and what transitioning means to different people.
If one word could describe Hell Followed With Us, it would be TENSE. The synopsis doesn't quite capture the depth of this story - just the vehicle for telling it. I signed on for a survivalist story about a trans teen (Benji) on the run from a religious cult, finding refuge with a group of LGBTQ+ teens fighting to make a life in a post-apocalyptic world where all non-believers are labeled "heretics" and wiped out from the face of te earth. I was expecting The Handmaid's Tale meets The Last of Us. And while those themes are certainly present, HFWU centers on queer rage - the "what if" the queer community actually became the monsters they are made out to be and decided to unleash their fury on those who vilified them?
My husband and I read HFWU together. I was so grateful for that co-reading experience because of how much there was to unpack and reflect on (the weaponization of religious tenants, the cognitive dissonance of those who subscribe to extremist belief systems, the intersectionality of marginalized populations and how that can lend to the occurrence of oppression and discrimination within marginalized communities). What we spent the most time grappling with was all of the ideas about gender identity, transness, and what transitioning means to different people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic