Sunny at the End of the World (Steph Bowe, Text)
Steph Bowe’s Sunny at the End of the World, published posthumously, provides clear evidence of Bowe’s creative skills levelling up. The book is set across dual timelines in 2018 and 2034, and action, horror and twists abound. In 2018, a confronting opening line hooks us as we meet Sunny through a first-person narrative. This is followed by an epistolary introduction to Toby. A zombie virus has speedily spread through the country, and the reader is swept up in the urgency, panic and fear of the unknown. The second timeline takes us to a new reality, a dystopia in the not-too-distant future, where the fallout from the zombie apocalypse has impacted everything and everyone. We learn about life in these disturbing times through Vee, her reflections, decisions and interactions. Bowe’s world-building is solid, weaving in recognisable Australian coastal towns, landmarks and pop-culture references. Chapters alternating between the timelines cleverly give readers a chance to catch up with the fast-paced action, with lots of humour thrown in. Themes are extensive and thought-provoking, including friendship, family, courage, resilience, survival, genocide and morals/ethics. The full cast of diverse and original characters, human or otherwise, are well-drawn, and the dialogue and banter are stand-outs, propelling the narrative forward. This reviewer will fondly remember Sunny, who is, by name and nature, ever-optimistic and very funny across both worlds. Readers aged 14+ and fans of Bowe’s previous, firmly contemporary, YA novels (Night Swimming, All This Could End) will enjoy this new cross-genre adventure.
Books+Publishing reviewer: Alida Galati is a freelance reviewer, secondary school librarian, and writing and reading enthusiast. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.
Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.
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