This Is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang
The heart-wrenching new novel about best friends on a collision course with the real world, from the author of Falling into Place.
Janie and Micah, Micah and Janie. That’s how it’s been ever since elementary school, when Janie Vivian moved next door. Janie says Micah is everything she is not. Where Micah is shy, Janie is outgoing. Where Micah loves music, Janie loves art. It’s the perfect friendship, as long as no one finds out about it.
But when Janie is date-raped by the most popular guy in school—a guy she’s had a crush on for years—she finds herself ostracized by all the people she thought were her friends. Now only Micah seems to believe she’s telling the truth. But when even Micah expresses doubt about whether or not she was “asking for it,” it leads to disastrous consequences, and Janie Vivian goes missing.
Using a nonlinear writing style and dual narrators, Amy Zhang’s astonishing second novel masterfully reveals the circumstances surrounding Janie’s disappearance.
Publishes in US: March 22nd 2016 by Greenwillow Books
Genre: ya contemp
Source: Harper Teen via Edelweiss
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free.
This is a book with dark or difficult themes. Young adults that have made hard choices from hard backgrounds. It deals with depression,drinking, and alludes to sex. It is a young adult book, but if under 18, ask parent's guidance.
Series? no
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I wanted to read this one because it deals with friendship and two characters who are very different but seem to work together. The issue of date rape and then even Micah questioning if she was asking for it provides a very tense platform for testing that friendship and its limits.
The story is told in dual narrative and it goes Back and forth from before and after Janie's disappearance. through this type of storytelling were able to get a good glimpse of both Micah and Janie and how they interact with each other and what the relationship is like. after Janie disappears Micah has a lot of retrograde amnesia and he isn't remembering much about what happened the night of Janie's disappearance that was apparently a party that got out of hand and her house burned down but he cannot remember any of it.
They had a complicated relationship that they kept secret from school. they were neighbors and opposites just attract and they clicked and fit together well they trusted each other and confided in one another and it was hard on Micah because no one else knew how close they were. whenever the police showed up in the hospital after asking questions about Janie and what happened that night and not only did he not remember what went wrong he didn't have the backing of his classmates so his claim that they were close sounded I don't know... out of place or suspicious.
There were a lot of lies and cover-ups in this book, and since Janie is so charismatic and Micah is a follower, there is some manipulation from her. As far as the plot, there aren't a lot of surprises since the synopsis is pretty thorough. But that wasn't an issue for me it was more about the journey and what the characters become and how they affect each other. The ending was pretty simplistic, and I still can't figure out if I wanted more or if its perfect for this kind of story.
I will read more from Amy Zhang, because she has a poetic, flowing writing style, and she really gives her characters like Janie a beautiful voice to her issues.
My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever had a friend go missing?
