Double Review: A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen

As it happens, both of your fair bloggers read this book recently. When we realised we both had it on our TBRs, we agreed to double post the review. It turns out we had similiar, but not quite identical feelings about it anyway!

What happens when the end of the world...isn't? Four survivors try to figure out their new lives in the wake of a global pandemic.

This is an unusual sort of post apocalyptic novel. We pick up the story when the survivors are well on the way to recovery...in some aspects, at least...and apart from some flashbacks, we don't see much of the actual apocalypse. This is also a source of frustration; we have to piece together everyone's histories and it's not easy.

My favourite character is Moira. I felt so badly for her suffering under her father's oppression. I think she finally had the measure of him by the end.

Aside from that this is a great read, though. More thoughtful than action packed, it's a wonderful meditation on how the world might go under these circumstances, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.




A lack of background hampers this post apocalyptic novel, but the writing rises above it.

I know. You're thinking "what do we need background for? There was a pandemic, here's the survivors, get over it." But all of their actions are rooted so deeply in what happened before and during the pandemic and in the years since, that trying to piece it together from the bits of information we're given is very frustrating.

The story itself is wonderful, though, a thoroughly character driven look at the end of the world and beyond. I recommend this as a read. Just be careful what you expect.

How do you start over after the end of the world?

Six years after a global pandemic wiped out most of the planet’s population, the survivors are rebuilding the country, split between self-governing cities, hippie communes and wasteland gangs.

In postapocalyptic San Francisco, former pop star Moira has created a new identity to finally escape her past—until her domineering father launches a sweeping public search to track her down. Desperate for a fresh start herself, jaded event planner Krista navigates the world on behalf of those too traumatized to go outside, determined to help everyone move on—even if they don’t want to. Rob survived the catastrophe with his daughter, Sunny, but lost his wife. When strict government rules threaten to separate parent and child, Rob needs to prove himself worthy in the city’s eyes by connecting with people again.

Krista, Moira, Rob and Sunny are brought together by circumstance, and their lives begin to twine together. But when reports of another outbreak throw the fragile society into panic, the friends are forced to finally face everything that came before—and everything they still stand to lose.

Because sometimes having one person is enough to keep the world going.