Everyone Says That at the End of the World
The author of The Book of Harold (2012) once again takes a tongue-in-cheek look at religion in this end-of-the-world tale. The story follows four characters during Earth’s last days: unlikely visionary Milton; his pregnant girlfriend, Rica; self-absorbed TV star Hayden; and a hermit crab named Click. Milton, whose father committed suicide in an attempt to prove the existence of parallel universes, starts to see the same alien creatures his father saw and comes to realize the appearance of these Floaters heralds doom for the planet. The end is coming in the form of a collapsed star, which is due to collide with Earth in four days. As the planet descends into chaos, Milton and Rica, along with Roy—Milton’s best friend and former bandmate from his Christian rock days—set off on a collision course with Hayden, who is fleeing his former hedonistic life, and Click, who is on an epic journey of his own. Though it meanders at times, this sharp-witted satire offers up more than a few laughs. --Kristine Huntley