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A review by aprilius_maximus
The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn
4.0
*Disclaimer - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
I just finished this book, hugged it to my chest and let out a small wail. Wow. What an engrossing and gripping debut. The Sky So Heavy follows the aftermath of Nuclear testing gone wrong, resulting in a nuclear winter. Our main characters live just outside of Sydney, Australia and it is their harrowing story of loss and survival, of love and friendship and ultimately, it's a powerful allegory in which the reality of Australia's asylum seeker crisis is brought to light.
This book was also scarily realistic, in that this isn't a dystopian revolving around a disaster that could never happen in real life (e.g. zombies), but a nuclear war? That could happen and the results would be absolutely devastating, like worldwide famine and entire nations completely demolished. The book was brutal, honest and raw. The last 50 pages had my heart caving in in agony.
The characters were really what made this book for me. We have Fin, who is just trying to keep his 12 year old brother alive. We Lucy, the girl that Fin has had a crush on from the minute she first walked into the classroom. And then we have Noll, my precious cinnamon roll. He was severely bullied in school and nobody did anything to stop it, not even Fin, who was best friends with one of the biggest bullies in the school. But disaster brings people together and things like this get put into perspective. There were also some amazing side characters that honestly stole my heart. Mr Effrez OMG i love him so much <3 and Alan! What a precious old man.
An absolute stunner of a debut and a book I wish I'd read sooner! I highly, highly recommend this one if you want a realistic look into a devastating disaster and a book that will leave you sobbing with the pain of it all.
Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge Notes:
- 48. A dystopia
I just finished this book, hugged it to my chest and let out a small wail. Wow. What an engrossing and gripping debut. The Sky So Heavy follows the aftermath of Nuclear testing gone wrong, resulting in a nuclear winter. Our main characters live just outside of Sydney, Australia and it is their harrowing story of loss and survival, of love and friendship and ultimately, it's a powerful allegory in which the reality of Australia's asylum seeker crisis is brought to light.
This book was also scarily realistic, in that this isn't a dystopian revolving around a disaster that could never happen in real life (e.g. zombies), but a nuclear war? That could happen and the results would be absolutely devastating, like worldwide famine and entire nations completely demolished. The book was brutal, honest and raw. The last 50 pages had my heart caving in in agony.
The characters were really what made this book for me. We have Fin, who is just trying to keep his 12 year old brother alive. We Lucy, the girl that Fin has had a crush on from the minute she first walked into the classroom. And then we have Noll, my precious cinnamon roll. He was severely bullied in school and nobody did anything to stop it, not even Fin, who was best friends with one of the biggest bullies in the school. But disaster brings people together and things like this get put into perspective. There were also some amazing side characters that honestly stole my heart. Mr Effrez OMG i love him so much <3 and Alan! What a precious old man.
An absolute stunner of a debut and a book I wish I'd read sooner! I highly, highly recommend this one if you want a realistic look into a devastating disaster and a book that will leave you sobbing with the pain of it all.
Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge Notes:
- 48. A dystopia