"They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Hello, everyone!
I'm new to this subreddit, so I'm a first time poster here, but I just wanted to talk about the book I literally just finished not 5 minutes ago, called "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera. Sorry in advance for any formatting issues, I only have mobile access. Also for possibly not being as eloquent as I hope to be, I have never been really compelled to write something like this anywhere, so this might be a mess by the end due to me not knowing how to organize my thoughts, but we'll just have to see.
Let me preface this by saying I only just got back into reading a few months ago, after a maybe 5 or 6 year-long hiatus. This book, among a few others have really made me regret that I ever fell out of reading, so I'm glad to be back.
Brief description of this book for those that don't know: The story is set in a time where technology has progressed to a point where everyone will at some point in their lives be notified via a phone call from a company called "Death-Cast" that they will die sometime in the next 24 hours. The story follows 2 teenage boys who get the call on the same day, and are strangers at first, but become "Last Friends" to each other via the Last Friend app, which is designed to give lonely people some company on their End Day, so they don't have to die alone. From there, we just follow their journey to ultimately live life to the fullest together on their last day.
I picked up this book on a whim, when the title caught my eye, and I ended up intrigued by the idea of "Death-Cast", and just wanted to know how that idea is portrayed, aside from what the book's description on the inside cover gave me.
By the end of the book, I was completely invested in the whole story. It was beyond just compelling. It was one of the most beautiful, thought provoking books that I, personally, can ever recall reading. It had a little bit of everything in it: friendship/kinship, humor, adventure, love, loss, heartbreak, self discovery and acceptance, and more.
It also covers aspects about death that I don't think anyone wants to think about, or at least too in depth about it until they have to, like how would you spend your time if you knew your time was that limited? Are you really going to rob yourself of the chance to do [this or that] because you're really still worried what people might think? Are you still going to remain afraid to embrace who you are, when time is so precious? If you knew your time was about to end, would you throw a pity party all day and expect special treatment, or would you spend it enjoying the last of your time with the people who really matter?
There were also instances where the characters realized money/possessions don't matter anymore, so they try to help others, even though they're the ones who are going to die. At one point we also get to get a glimpse of what if would be like for a person to attend their own funeral, and the other person comes across their own grave, just sitting there waiting for him to be ready to occupy it. The book also touches a bit on people facing their grief and learning that its ok to mourn, and how to overcome those hard times.
On another note, this book also had an aspect to it that makes you think how crazy life can be when it comes to the idea of "fate". It makes you think how there are billions of people on the planet, and how everyone is just out there, living their lives and doing their own thing, but they can be connected to a bunch of other people in some way, big or small, in the grand scheme of things and not even know it. (Which the way that idea plays out in the book was something I found really interesting the further along I got in the book too.)
I just really loved it, more than I expected to. I could have finished it in one sitting if not for the fact I had started it so late in the night, so I just read until I could not keep my eyes open anymore, and when I woke up I could not wait to get started again and finish it. By the time I did get finished with it, I was really emotional. It was so pure and sweet, and also sad but beautiful. I felt drained, but in the best possible way. I found it refreshing to have found and read a book that didn't just kind of "mildly entertain" me or help me to pass time, but made me think as well as really engaging me, and getting me really invested in a set of characters and their journey.
I applaud Mr. Silvera on this beautiful work, and will be looking for any of his other works on my next trip to the library.
