Birch Hills at World's End

by Geoff Hyatt, N. Apythia Morges (Editor)

"I wish there were more books like this one, I really do. It was painful to read in the same way that flipping through an old yearbook is painful." ~ David Peak, The RumpusBirch Hills at World’s End begins between Detroit and nowhere, in 1999, when high school senior Josh Reilly senses an apocalypse approaching. Josh's unease increases as his privileged but disturbed friend Erik schemes in a journal he calls "The Doomsday Book," where he plots revenge against the suburbia he's learned to despise. When Lindsay, a sixteen-year-old famed for dramatic self-mutilation and questionable poetry, becomes Josh's girlfriend, Erik finds companionship in a circle of bikers and small-time meth traffickers. Josh, suspecting his friend Erik has become a competitor for Lindsay's affections, peeks into the Doomsday Book and is shocked by what he learns. A web of domestic strife, romantic rivalry, and millennial anxiety challenges two boys to stand together as their youth comes apart.Columbine... Y2K... can friendships survive the end of the world?Get a free Kindle book download with paperback purchase via Kindle Matchbook!Praise for BIRCH HILLS AT WORLD'S “Birch Hills at World’s End is a terrific coming-of-age tale told in a way that feels completely fresh. Hyatt handles the important themes of alienation, young love, friendship and family with scrupulous honesty, which is why we care about his characters so deeply by the end. He perfectly captures the heartbreak and hilarity of adolescence, artfully detailing the ugliness and confusion as well as the epiphinal moments of grace. It’s a great book by an exciting new author.” — Don De Grazia, author of American Skin “Geoff Hyatt is the real deal, and Birch Hills at World’s End is proof that you’re in the hands of a major talent. Hyatt is that rare author in contemporary fiction — a visionary — brilliantly meshing the apocalyptic with the absurd, and bringing to mind the best of Denis searing prose that makes you laugh one moment and cringe the next. Birch Hills isn’t John Updike’s suburb, with its afternoon cocktails and key parties. No, Birch Hills is our very own suburb, and Geoff Hyatt has lifted the rock for all to see.” — John McNally, author of After the Workshop and The Book of Ralph “Against the backdrop of the gas stations, Dairy Queen parking lots, and under-construction subdivisions of an economically changing Michigan town, Hyatt draws us in with his original voice and spot-on awareness of what it feels like to try to grow up and face difficult, sometimes life-altering choices during an uncertain time. At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Birch Hills at World’s End will make us all glad that we lived through Y2K—if for no other reason than to have the chance to read this book.” — Patricia Ann McNair, author of The Temple of Air

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2011

About the author

Geoff Hyatt is the author of the rural-noir crime novel Follow You Down. He has shown intermittent enthusiasm for electric guitars, Bronze Age comic books, and early 1970s black light posters.

Reviews

[djt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good "coming of age" story. The storyline carries very clearly and consistently, keeping the reader's interest throughout the book. I thought the book was well written, giving a real sense of the youthful optimisim and disappointment that are true-to-life. It also, unexpectedly, opened up in beautiful prose at various points throughout the book, which added to the storyline and enjoyment of reading this book.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably, a goal of any coming of age tale is to make it fresh, both familiar and unfamiliar, or more accurately, familiar, yet new, all of which is to say that Birch Hills @ World's End by Geoff Hyatt does much of this exceedingly well. And freshly.

More - http://bentanzer.blogspot.com/2011/11...

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before the actual review, I'd like to warn readers that there are very visceral sexual scenes in this book. There is also drug use and violence but it's not as graphic?
THIS WAS SO GOOD. It explored many topics I myself wonder about constantly. It's really just about growing up and it's so true to life. The kids are messed up and wild and dumb but they're never romanticized. They are not the invincible teens we are used to seeing on movie screens. In fact, they're scared shitless.
If you love coming of age stories, this is definitely for you. It's well written and powerful and you'll definitely relate.

[L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not often I read a book in one sitting, but Birch Hills @ Worlds End was such a great read, it was worth a bleary eyed morning. Although I have little in common with the subject matter, Geoff Hyatt's way of story telling draws you in and keeps you emotionally invested in the characters, beyond the last page. My teen years are a distant memory, but Geoff brought all of it back, the family, the clicks, the insecurities, the friendships, and that wonderful feeling of intense longing for someone dark and scarred. I laughed out loud, got lumps in my throat and devoured every page, anticipating the next. It is honest story telling at its absolute best. If this is his first book, I look forward to what is next. BRAVO! and please, Geoff, ENCORE!

[kramox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one. It made me laugh out loud and still there were sad parts.