Aisle Nine by Ian X Cho

It’s Black Friday—and the apocalypse is on sale!

Ever since the world filled with portals to hell and bloodthirsty demons started popping out on the reg, Jasper’s life has gotten worse and worse. A teenage nobody with no friends or family, he is plagued by the life he can’t remember and the person he’s sure he’s supposed to be.

Jasper spends his days working as a checkout clerk at the Here for You discount mart, where a hell portal in aisle nine means danger every shift. But at least at the mart he can be near his crush, Kyle Kuan, a junior member of the monster-fighting Vanguard, though Kyle really seems to hate Jasper for reasons he doesn’t remember or understand.

But when Jasper and Kyle learn they both share a frightening vision of the impending apocalypse, they’re forced to team up and uncover the uncomfortable truth about the hell portals and the demons that haunt the world. Because the true monsters are not always what they seem, the past is not always what we wish, and like it or not, on Black Friday, all hell will break loose starting in aisle nine. Perfect for fans of Grasshopper Jungle or The Last of Us comes Aisle Nine, the debut young adult novel from rising YA star Ian X. Cho.

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Aisle Nine is set in a world transformed by the sudden appearance of portals that spew out monsters. In response, a company called Vanguard Corporation emerges as humanity's protector, taking up the daunting task of guarding these portals and fighting off the monsters, and giving virtual points to any civilians caught up in attacks. Earn enough points, get some free candy! The story follows Jasper, a retail worker in a Walmart-like store that has a portal conveniently located in Aisle Nine. Although the portal occasionally releases monsters into the store, Jasper is more preoccupied with the unsettling visions he's been having about the end of the world. Maybe the new Vanguard trainee, Kyle, has something to do with it?

The book leans into its wackiness, creating a narrative that's both clever and inventive. There are some genuinely surprising twists that keep the reader engaged, even as the story explores the more mundane aspects of life in retail. (I can't talk about my favourite character for spoilers, but she is absolutely brilliant.) One of the novel’s strengths is how it captures the monotony of retail work and the human capacity to adapt to even the most bizarre circumstances.

While the concept might seem a bit out there, the book’s charm lies in how it blends the extraordinary with the ordinary. It manages to create a world that’s both surreal and relatable, reflecting on the absurdity of everyday life in a context that’s anything but normal.

Aisle Nine publishes on the 24th of September, 2024. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.