A dad on the autism spectrum becomes a single parent to his 15-year-old daughter in the wake of a traumatic loss. As the two struggle to live with new challenges, they must revisit the tragedy that upended their world.
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Read my full review at https://literaryquicksand.com/2022/04/review-ways-the-world-could-end-by-kim-hooper/
Ways the World Could End is a story with so much heart. Dave and Cleo's relationship after losing Jana is just this tender thing that changes as the story goes on. I loved being inside Dave's head as he thinks about his daughter, and about his relationship with the world in general. He ends up being a bit of a doomsday prepper, and that's where the title of the book comes from. Each time Dave narrates a part of the story, he comes in with a way the world could end.
Kim Hooper gets grief and the aftermath it creates, and that comes across so clearly in her writing. It's those day-to-day details after something so huge and life-changing happens that I can imagine are hard to capture in a story, but she does it so well. Having been through a couple big grief events myself, I appreciate this so much. Those little details are where life happens, and she gets those spot-on.
Cleo is just trying to figure out who she is, both on her own and as a daughter/friend/girlfriend. Such a tender age to lose her mom. I loved watching her grow throughout the novel, and also how she interacts with her dad, knowing he's neurodivergent. The relationship building in this book was just awesome. It gave me all the feels.
