Book Review – The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James

How far would you go to save those you love?

Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion.

Their idyllic life is torn apart when a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide who to save and who to sacrifice…

My rating:

I really do love Lauren James’ writing. She has a deftness with words that is hard to find.

This book is also aptly named – it’s a quiet read, understated and beautiful. The atmosphere of a barely lived in world full of crumbling buildings really comes across.

I loved the twists too. I really don’t want to spoil them, so I won’t go into detail, but the first one really got me. Though the second one I guessed not long after, it was still really well done and beautifully layered through the book.

It’s also a book about relationships. For all that it’s about the apocalypse and robots, it’s really about Lowrie and Shen, and their relationship with each other, their parents and the end of the world. And also Maya, Riz and Darcy – their story was gorgeous.

There’s great representation here too – bi and trans, deaf, Chinese characters. So good to see so much.

Lauren James is an auto buy author now, I loved this.

Buy The Quiet at the End of the World from Amazon UK.