At the End of the World

by Nadia Mikail

Overview

When the world is ending, what matters most to you?

Seventeen-year-old Aisha hasn't seen her sister June for two years. She has no idea where she is, but that hasn't stopped her from thinking about her every day and hoping she's okay.

But now that a calamity is about to end the world in nine months' time, she and her mother decide that it's time to track her down and mend the hurts of the past. They don't have any time to spare - if they don't resolve their issues now, they never will.

Along with Aisha's boyfriend Walter and his parents (and a stray cat named Fleabag), the group embarks on a roadtrip through Malaysia in a wildly decorated campervan to put the past to rest, to come to terms with the present, and to hope for the future, even with the world about to end.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250868145
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	11/05/2024
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Nadia Mikail is a law student in London, a full-time houseplant owner and a part-time investigative journalist of what London’s pigeons are planning when they flock together like that. She is mostly unsuccessful at (but still hopeful about) both these occupations. She is from Sarawak, Malaysia, where the air is always sweeter, the food is always tastier, and the pigeons are considerably less bold.

Editorial Reviews

08/21/2023

Four months ago, teenage Aisha—along with the rest of the world—found out that an asteroid is projected to destroy Earth in less than a year. For the past two years, Aisha has lived alone with her mother in Penang, Malaysia, ever since Aisha’s father died and her sister June walked out on them; realizing they have limited time left, Aisha and her mother resolve to find June. Aisha asks her boyfriend and his family to come along, and the group travel together across the country to Melaka with a stray cat named Fleabag. Aisha’s despair over her search for June and the oncoming end of the world manifests in increasing anger and irritability, and Walter’s seemingly relentlessly positive attitude causes a rift between the teens. The trip provides the families with opportunities to reflect on their lives, strengthen their bonds, admit their most private thoughts, and process their grief. Though revealing flashbacks interwoven throughout occasionally disrupt narrative flow, they also offer vibrant and emotionally raw looks into the protagonists’ relationship with loss, the past, and each other. Using poetic prose, debut author Mikail highlights the power of hope and reconciliation amid impending devastation and dread. Ages 13–up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

A 2024 Bank Street Best Book of the Year

"Haunting is the perfect word for this novel... An incredible, soulful debut. —Booklist (starred)

"The heartfelt writing evocatively portrays the complex emotions within close relationships...The different landscapes and cultural touches give readers a glimpse of a rich and historied land. A quietly reflective novel enveloped in hope." -Kirkus

From the Publisher

11/01/2023

Gr 6 Up—Aisha was 10 years old when her father died. She was 15 when her sister June left, never to be heard from again. Now at 18, her life is once again upended when a planet-killing asteroid is headed toward Earth. With less than a year left before impact, it is time to reunite what's left of her broken family. Setting out with her supportive boyfriend Walter; her closed-off mother Esah; Walter's parents; and stray cat Fleabag, Aisha travels across Malaysia to find June. Short chapters cut with flashbacks give in-depth glances into Aisha's past as each family member tries in their own way to cope with the aftermath of repeated devastation. Readers will relate to Aisha's journey as she struggles with emotions that are equally expected and unforeseeable. Unlike most end of the world stories, the extended deadline gives plenty of time to digest the bittersweet memories and dreamlike reflections. Aisha and Walter's relationship is a highlight, offering sweet and steady support for her as she lashes out, while also acknowledging Walter's own struggle to accept the end of the world. Malaysian and Indonesian references ground the setting in a heavily character-driven story. While the open ending may not satisfy every reader, hope is sure to resonate. VERDICT Fans of Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End will find much to relate to in this emotional exploration of the end of the world.—Elisha Sheffer

School Library Journal

2023-08-11
A looming apocalypse leads a family to heal their estrangement.

Seventeen-year-old Aisha’s older sister, June, left home three years ago, trying to escape the emotional burden of dealing with her mother’s depression and strict rules. The quick succession of family tragedies—the deaths of Aisha’s father and maternal grandparents and uncle—affected each of them in different ways. Now, with a devastating asteroid set to collide with Earth and put an end to humanity, Aisha and her mother set out to find June. Walter, Aisha’s boyfriend, along with his parents and a stray cat they name Fleabag, join mother and daughter in a road trip across Malaysia. They meander, making pivotal pit stops that reflect cherished memories and support the characters’ emotional journeys. Once they find June, feelings of grief, abandonment, and simmering resentment surface, but they slowly give way to understanding and reconciliation. Aisha’s family is Muslim and cued Malay; Walter’s presents as Chinese and South Asian in heritage. The heartfelt writing evocatively portrays the complex emotions within close relationships; the bewildering sense of loss in not being able to experience a full life is thoughtfully expressed by both Walter and Aisha. The characters seem so resigned to their impending deaths, however, that framing the story around an apocalyptic event feels unnecessary. Though the situations are easily resolved and some of the metaphors feel overdone, the different landscapes and cultural touches give readers a glimpse of a rich and historied land.

A quietly reflective novel enveloped in hope. (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews