Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I believe that this book was a rather nice breath of fresh air, or at least it remained so until the end, when it kinda turned my stomach.

If any of you remember the neat stuff of The Wasp Factory or Life of Pi, you'll get a taste of all that here, but definitely not as crazy in either sense. All of the action and twist is much more homely and down to earth, sticking to the forest, so to speak.

It's definitely a cross between survivalist fiction and a coming of age novel, but all that doesn't quite surprise you will at least give you very nice taste of reading. Peggy's voice is very strong and the pacing is excellent, sometimes moving back and forward to the aftermath, never giving anything away until the right time.

It was a pleasant read, but I won't quite go so far as to say I was blown away by anything in particular. The surprises are merely horrifying, not mind-blowing.

YA, or not? I suppose it is. No one ought to lie that things like this revelation happens, but it only makes it a good novel because we're treated to the survivalist bits as well. All the characters are and will remain quite memorable. There's much worse praise out there.

Hell, it's a sight better than a number of the more recent SF classics I've read lately, and heads and shoulders above some other classic traditional fiction tomes I've had the pleasure (or not) of reading.

Still, the novel is only bold... to a point. There's no magical realism (which I probably would have gushed about) or severe twists of plot (which I would have applauded). No gimmicks, either. Just a solid tale told solidly, with beauty and strength.



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