Thank you to Hot Key Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of The Forevers via NetGalley. Before I give you my thoughts, here’s the blurb.
The Blurb
They knew the end was coming. They saw it ten years back, when it was far enough away in space and time and meaning.
The changes were gradual, and then sudden.
For Mae and her friends, it means navigating a life where action and consequence are no longer related. Where the popular are both trophies and targets. And where petty grudges turn deadlier with each passing day. So, did Abi Manton jump off the cliff or was she pushed? Her death is just the beginning of the end.
With teachers losing control of their students and themselves, and the end rushing toward all of them, it leaves everyone facing the answer to one, simple question…
What would you do if you could get away with anything?
My Review
It’s quite tricky to review The Forevers. I’ve read all of Chris Whitaker’s books and it would be so easy to review this book in that vein. Except this is a YA novel, which will hopefully give him a new generation of readers. So, I’m going to try and steer away from his previous books and just look solely at this one.
For the last ten years, an asteroid has been hurtling through space on a collision course with the Earth. Despite many attempts, nothing has stopped it or veered it off course. It’s now only a month away from impact. With a premise like that, you’d think this was a sci-fi book set in the distant future. Instead, it’s near future and feels very like life now. Needless to say, with only a month to live, people are behaving erratically and some are taking their own lives rather than wait for the inevitable. Abi Manton is one such person. Abi had been Mae’s best friend until she joined the main clique at school. Mae find’s it hard to come to terms with her friend’s death and decides to find out why Abi choose to die. In doing so, Mae discovers a whole host of secrets and with the end of the world nigh, tensions reach boiling point.
This book is set in the costal town of West but I struggled to place which country it was meant to be in. Although London was mentioned a couple of times, it felt more American than British. It was the same with the characters. That may have more to do with Chris Whitaker’s style of writing though.
The characters are dealing with a whole range of issues – suicide, abuse, self-harm, eating disorders, homosexuality – to name just a few. This is a group of older teens (17-18) who don’t have time for counselling – they need to live their lives while they still can. There’s a big cast of characters, perhaps even too many, but if you look at them all, it would be impossible to extract any of them from the plot. Like a game of Kerplunk, pull out the wrong character and everything falls apart. So get ready to remember their names! As the countdown continues, people’s lives become more manic and messy. Not exactly anarchy but people taking matters into their own hands.
Overall, this is a thought-provoking and tense read aimed at YA readers rather than this oldie reviewer. I think the main question is whether or not I’d be happy for my older teens to read it and the answer is yes. In his last three books, Chris Whitaker has written amazing teenage characters. Now, he’s written an amazing book for teenagers.
If you’d like to buy a copy of The Forevers then click here or head down to your local independent bookshop.
The Author
Chris Whitaker is the award-winning author of Tall Oaks, All the Wicked Girls and We Begin at the End. All three books were published to widespread critical acclaim, with Tall Oaks going on to win the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award.
An instant New York Times bestseller and the #1 Indie Next Pick, We Begin at the End was also a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, a Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick and a Good Morning America Buzz Pick. It has just won the CWA Gold Dagger Award, and is shortlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year.
When not writing, Chris works at his local library, where he gets to surround himself with books.
Chris lives in the UK with his wife and three children.
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