A Song for the End of the World

by Jason Fuhrman

The world is dead.And Mia must escape it. She must escape her mother, a withered shell of what she used to be. She must escape her sister, born into this wasteland, hiding a secret behind blindfolded eyes. But the poisonous air keeps Mia trapped in the darkness of an abandoned bunker.

Then the rain comes, cleansing the air, giving Mia a spark of hope and the courage to search the landscape for her mother who went scavenging the surface for supplies. Trudging through mud, corpses, and the skeletons of civilization, Mia finds her, but she also finds someone else. Someone who will lead them to a fate they have been running away from since the day the world died.

In the tradition of bleak dystopian fiction like Cormac McCarthy's The Road, A Song for the End of the World ushers a crumbling family through a wasteland rife with loss, regret, and redemption.

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2021

Reviews

[Britton]

Here's a conversation I had with Jason about this very book. Check it out!

It's always an awkward thing when you review books by people who you know. I consider Jason to be a good friend, even if we have our differences (and they are many.) I was excited to check out this book, especially so since I'm a post-apocalyptic nut and I love these types of stories. I thought that I would really enjoy this book, considering that it's a book that's right up my alley in terms of content and it's by a guy who I know is always preaching about simple storytelling and character. It should be a win, right? Well...

Jason proves that he is a talented writer, creating a surreal and often nightmarish atmosphere with his laconic prose and storytelling. I was reminded of The Road in terms of the dream-like quality of the narrative, as well as the fact that I wanted to take a long and thorough shower after completing it. But I was frustrated by this novel quite often, and despite its short length, I was often confused by the novel's experimental tone and its opaque storytelling, despite its straightforward plot.

I'll be the first to admit that I underestimated this book. The highest compliment that I can give it is that it is so rare that a book completely catches me off guard with its approach. I wasn't at all prepared for the book's uncompromisingly strange approach to telling its story, but it often wrought much frustration since Jason consistently refused to paint a coherent picture of what was going on. That is not always the case, as Jason showcases a talent for creating memorable scenes and vivid prose, but throughout this book, I was often left confused on what the fuck was going on and it left me having a hard time connecting with it. Rather it be because I'm an idiot or Jason was stretching his creative powers thin, I have no idea.

But not all is as frustrating as it seems, there is still much to admire. As I said, Jason has a gift for creating a gritty, disgusting atmosphere that crawled into my skin as if they were the creepy crawlies that Isla plays with. I also admired how Jason played with the child-like innocence of some of our main characters. He showcases an understanding of how children think, and how their naivete can be endearing, while also getting them into more trouble than they're sometimes worth. He also isn't afraid to make his characters unlikable, particularly Mia in her treatment of her mom. Jason also showcases an admirable respect for his audience by not spelling out everything for his audience and leaving things up to interpretation, though I do realize that he probably did this a little...too much.

It's impressive in a sense that Jason managed to pack so much disorientation and interpretation into this little book. I remember thinking to myself 'after all of this time of hearing Jason hawk on about straightforward storytelling, and this is what he gives us,' but I realize that perhaps I wasn't in the right head space to read this book, and as I noted before, I definitely wasn't prepared for what this book would bring. But even then, I couldn't get this book out of my head. It gnawed at me for a while as I wrestled with myself on what to make of this book. Perhaps another read will have to be in order, to see if anything changes from the last time.

Jason has told me that he hopes that he can create stories that will divide, but make an impact, rather than give the same old, same old. I can say for certain that this book will do just that, if nothing else.

*Thank you Jason for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*

[ᵔᴥᵔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It must be said the author did a hell of a job crafting often-times beautifully- (even expertly-) crafted sentences, showing us a desolate, grueling nightmare in all its ruinous attrition. That being said, I suspect this genre is just not for me as I didn't find myself enjoying the story (and what I take it are common tropes) as much as I wanted to. In the end, the absolute distopic nature of this novella, and the punishment the 10yo female protagonist endures, was and is undoubtedly a selling-point for like-minded readers, but proved a little too much for me.

Pros
◇ The writing was often very good
◇ The setting, the mood, and the bleak nature is on-point
◇ Some scenes made you feel you were actually there

Cons
◇ The age of the POV characters were 10-and-under
◇ The use of simile sometimes confused the action
◇ Too many questions posed, not enough answered

As a novella, this works better in some areas and less-well in others, but I do think fans of dystopia will find something to like here. It's billed by the author as being in-line with the darker nature of Man that often precipitates from the apocalypse (cited specifically was Cormac McCarthy's The Road) and I would agree there is a level of sadness that is comparable to that admittedly-great work, but there is also something lacking which may be made-up-for with future installments.

The biggest issue for me wasn't the near-rape scene, or the age of the girl involved, but rather the story as a whole. In short: what actually happens. When the MC leaves the bunker and catches up with her mother, her younger sister spends her entire arc avoiding the oncoming tide and lamenting her bug friends. Considering her youth, that's fine, but why did we need her perspective and how did it further the story? When we learn Mia's father died at the hands of an evil wanderer, for me, I didn't feel invested because it was the first I'd heard of him and without a flashback or more info it was hard to feel what Mia felt. The mother, for her part, had a rough go from start-to-finish and it was hard to read her arc at times, but her miserable situation was well-told nonetheless. I guess what I wanted to see was a purpose behind (1) the end of the world, the bunker, the poisonois air, (2) the song Mia sang—and why that mysterious boy knew about it, and to have (3) a clearer menace to the villain, instead of the abrupt reasoning at the end where we learn the why of his debauchery (spoiler alert: he's just insane).

But I do want to stress, this comes from the opinion of someone who watched The Road and had a hard time with that, too. So if you are into this genre and loved that book this is very much still worth your time.

[Lee Hunts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Link to my review: https://leehuntswriting.blogspot.com/...