If you’re interested in reading serious books which touch upon key issues in society you may be interested in reading “On the Edge of Gone”. Which is as much a story about family and hope as it is a story about the end of the world as we know it.
Book profile: On the Edge of Gone
It’s set before a predicted comet is set to hit the Earth:
The events of “On the Edge of Gone” take place on the day that a comet is predicted to hit the Earth, the 29th of January, 2035.
It follows the story of Denise, her sister Iris and her mother:
Denise, her sister Irish and her mother are assigned to a temporary shelter which is located close to their home in Amsterdam. Which is located in the Netherlands. Denise and her family plan to wait out the effects of the comet’s crash at the shelter, except there’s a problem. When it’s time to head to the shelter, Denise can’t find her sister Iris and to make things worse her drug addicted mother is not ready to head to their designated shelter.
A chance encounter leads Denise to a generation ship:
After a chance encounter Denise comes across a generation ship, which plans to leave the Earth and to colonize new worlds. Everyone on the generation ship has been hand selected due to their skills and usefulness. Denise who is autistic worries that she won’t be able to get a place on the generation ship due to her autism.
Denise struggles over the decision which she should make:
Part of Denise is worried about the comet hitting the Earth and wants to ensure that she is offered a place on the generation ship. As if the comet hits the Earth as scientists predict, there is a high probability that she’ll lose her life or be forced to live in a world which has been severely damaged by the comet. However if Denise does get offered a place on the generation ship will she be willing to leave her drug addicted mother and her sister behind?
If you read “On the Edge of Gone”, you’ll get to think about the worth of each human life and whether some individual’s lives are worth more than others. As an example are those with high intellects lives worth more than individuals who are addicted to drugs such as Denise’s mother? If you enjoy reading books which encourage you to think about moral dilemmas, you’ll definitely enjoy following Denise’s journey and the moral dilemmas which she faces.
Denise remains committed to finding her sister:
Although there is little time to try and secure a spot on the generation ship which Denise comes across, Denise still remains committed to finding her sister Irish. Even though the two have little in common and Iris is often off organizing festivals and spends little time with Denise. “While on the Edge of Gone” focuses heavily on questions about human life and worth, it’s also a story about the bonds of family. Especially as Denise feels extra responsible for Iris’ well being as her mother is a drug addict and her father abandoned their family to return to country in which he was born, Suriname.
If you’re curious about the premise of “On the Edge of Gone” and want to see if Denise leaves planet Earth and finds her sister, it’s well worth grabbing a copy of “On the Edge of Gone”.
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