What do you think?
Rate this book
Knowing
What would you do differently if you knew when you would die? What if society judged your worth, not by your abilities, but by how long you'd be alive to use them? In a world where every baby is born with an end date on their chest, it's easy to plan life accordingly.
Daniel is a grumpy old man trying to live out the final week of his life in peace. Sophie is a charismatic young woman with a big secret. When a chance encounter strikes an unlikely friendship between them, Daniel is forced to confront the fact that life doesn't always go as planned. While he is preoccupied with tying up any loose ends as his own end draws near, Sophie shows Daniel that he still has a few things left to learn about life.
Daniel is a grumpy old man trying to live out the final week of his life in peace. Sophie is a charismatic young woman with a big secret. When a chance encounter strikes an unlikely friendship between them, Daniel is forced to confront the fact that life doesn't always go as planned. While he is preoccupied with tying up any loose ends as his own end draws near, Sophie shows Daniel that he still has a few things left to learn about life.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 29, 2020
2 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 12, 2022
One of the most thought provoking books I have read. It is sci-fi/dystopian genre. If that is not usually a genre you read, don't let it turn you off. The premise is quite interesting- people in this setting are born with their death dates on their chests. They are issued a birth/death certificate. Depending on how long you will live will depend on what level you are assigned and the choices you are allowed in life. It also sets societal norms that are quite interesting. If you are someone that just gives a book a few pages, I urge you to allow yourself to settle into this story. The world building is done in the beginning showing several people around the world. This was an excellent device to use. The story then settles to focus on a young girl (that has a uniqueness about herself) and an older gentleman that is one week away from his Final (death date). Even though they only know each other a week the friendship has a strong impact. The uniqueness about the female protagonist drives the story. Even though it seems as if this is a heavy topic, it is a hopeful read and has many interesting life lessons to ponder. It is THE PERFECT BOOK CLUB BOOK! My only regret is to not have someone to immediately discuss this book with this evening. It is quite compelling and I spent the better part of today finishing it as I could not put it down. Daniel and Sophie will be character that will stay with me. The author's craft in how she let the story unfold was spot on as was her dialogue. I loved every part of this book and looking forward to an online meeting with the author as she is an aluma from my undergrad university.
August 31, 2024
The Solace: This is an amazing concept with so many interesting ethical conversations amongst our characters in this world of knowing and so many that can be drawn in parallel to how we live. I absolutely loved our main characters, Sophia and Daniel - they were an amazing pairing. I also loved how this book started with a series of excerpts from different people from around the world - it was an incredible way of building this world. Likewise, the rest of the book was written in timestamped entries - giving us different perspectives and easing us into watching the story unfold.
The Dread: The writing felt a bit heavy at times like some too many words or adjectives made the reading feel long-winded. There were also a handful of typos in the book that took me right out of the story I was reading - all of it minor (for example, policy was written instead of police), but all felt like a speed bump. The world was also too similar to ours. A personal preference maybe, but when I'm reading a dystopia book, I prefer to have general descriptors that help fold me into the world, instead I'm sitting in a McDonald's and Panera trying to image this as real. Unfortunately, many of the very specific places pulled me out of the story.
Overall, this was an extremely interesting concept with enjoyable characters to read through.
The Dread: The writing felt a bit heavy at times like some too many words or adjectives made the reading feel long-winded. There were also a handful of typos in the book that took me right out of the story I was reading - all of it minor (for example, policy was written instead of police), but all felt like a speed bump. The world was also too similar to ours. A personal preference maybe, but when I'm reading a dystopia book, I prefer to have general descriptors that help fold me into the world, instead I'm sitting in a McDonald's and Panera trying to image this as real. Unfortunately, many of the very specific places pulled me out of the story.
Overall, this was an extremely interesting concept with enjoyable characters to read through.
December 22, 2020
I found this book to be a delightful read. The premise is thought provoking : How would I live if I knew the date of my death? The two main characters, Sophie and Daniel, are well developed and an interesting pair. It was fun to see how Sophie's optimism and genuine goodness rubbed off on Daniel and how each of them received special gifts and enlightenment from the other.
I highly recommend "Knowing" and in fact have to all my friends and family.
I'd love to read a sequel and learn what happens to Sophie as she goes thorough her life. She's a special person. I'd like to more like her.
I highly recommend "Knowing" and in fact have to all my friends and family.
I'd love to read a sequel and learn what happens to Sophie as she goes thorough her life. She's a special person. I'd like to more like her.
July 21, 2022
I enjoyed reading this book beginning to end! It was certainly thought provoking and made me stop and think about whether or not I would want to know the information all characters in in the book know. Or…almost all of them.
There were lovable characters, fleeting characters that still leave an impression and influence your thoughts, and a few that just make you wonder. Mix in a society that dictates important aspects of your life based on your own “Knowing” and you have a winner of a story.
There were lovable characters, fleeting characters that still leave an impression and influence your thoughts, and a few that just make you wonder. Mix in a society that dictates important aspects of your life based on your own “Knowing” and you have a winner of a story.
April 7, 2021
What a concept. Everyone is born knowing their "end date". Everyone except Sophie that is. How we approach life, society, and choices are changed when everyone knows when they will die. This book takes us through scenarios and made me question my choices in life. Great read, ready for an interesting discussion with friends after we have all finished the book!
August 2, 2021
I loved the characters in this book. The topic is heavy, but the great dialogue and humor balance out the deterministic theme of the book.
January 9, 2021
Fantastic book! I would read anything this exciting new author writes!
November 15, 2020
Literally couldn’t put this down! I was very interested in how the characters connected in the story and how it would end. Definitely worth the read!
December 30, 2020
Really interesting and unique idea with characters that hold your attention! very readable and full of twists!
February 28, 2021
The book deals with such a unique concept. What would the world be like if everyone is born with their death date tattooed on their body. How different would our life choices be? How many life choices would we actually have? Would society dictate those choices? The book deals with all the above. It follows two main characters, one an old man facing his “final” in a few days and a young woman whose “death date” was scraped away by
her mother minutes after she was born.
If this set up intrigues you, this book is for you. I loved the concept and the characters. I rated it three stars because it’s pace was slow; I feel its ending should have come earlier than it did.
her mother minutes after she was born.
If this set up intrigues you, this book is for you. I loved the concept and the characters. I rated it three stars because it’s pace was slow; I feel its ending should have come earlier than it did.
June 7, 2021
What would you do if you know your date of death? How would that affect how you live your life? How might that affect how society treats you? In Knowing, author Rachel Moore explores these very issues through the strange and sudden friendship of Daniel, a man in his 80s whose death day is fast approaching, and Sophie, a 20-year-old who strikes up a conversation one morning with the old man. Daniel is hesitant to befriend the cheerful young woman, who he soon learns holds a big secret. I have to say that the reveal of that secret was my favorite part of this story. It made me gasp out loud as I considered the possibilities of what it might mean. I think the author took an already interesting idea and really pumped up the volume with the twist
With that said, I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I was really intrigued by the society and rules created by the situation of knowing one's death death. It was fascinating to think about people getting away with criminal acts just because those things lead to a death that was already "scheduled" for that day, for example. I also loved how the story opened with different people around the world dealing with their own "TL" (time left). Given that the story was more about Sophie and Daniel's friendship and its effect on his last days, I think the novel might have been more effective as a novella or short story. Once I knew Sophia's secret, I wanted that to really drive the story more because it was such an interesting idea. I found the friendship to make for a sweet story, but not for as compelling as I was hoping for.
All-in-all, I felt like this was a decent story that just didn't quite go in the direction I was imagining it might.
With that said, I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I was really intrigued by the society and rules created by the situation of knowing one's death death. It was fascinating to think about people getting away with criminal acts just because those things lead to a death that was already "scheduled" for that day, for example. I also loved how the story opened with different people around the world dealing with their own "TL" (time left). Given that the story was more about Sophie and Daniel's friendship and its effect on his last days, I think the novel might have been more effective as a novella or short story. Once I knew Sophia's secret, I wanted that to really drive the story more because it was such an interesting idea. I found the friendship to make for a sweet story, but not for as compelling as I was hoping for.
All-in-all, I felt like this was a decent story that just didn't quite go in the direction I was imagining it might.
February 6, 2025
The ending felt unfinished.
March 2, 2025
sooo good we sell this book at our family general store and one day I picked it up and it was awesome.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews