This is Where it Ends

Nijkamp, M. (2016). This is where it ends.  Illinois: Sourcebooks Fire.  

The story of a tragic high school shooting is told from the perspective of four students.  Claire, a senior and sergeant of the JROTC.  She’s not in the assembly because she and other members of the track team are practicing.  Her brother, Matt is inside the auditorium.  Thomas is skipping the assembly with Farheed- breaking into the principal’s office in search of a permanent record.  His sister Sylv is in the assembly and also adds perspective from inside the auditorium.  Sylv’s girlfriend, Autumn, is the final perspective.   Autumn’s brother, Tyler, is the terrorizing shooter.  He feels abandoned by everyone after the death of he and Autumn’s mom.  Thomas and Farheed end up getting the doors open and many students and staff to safety, but the ordeal doesn’t end until Thomas has sacrificed his life for his sister and Tyler has killed himself.  In the final scene recounted by Sylv, the surviving members of Opportunity High School meet to mourn their fallen classmates and coworkers.

A window into a world everyone prays they never experience!  The varying perspectives of the story add to the element of suspense.  The details of how everyone is connected are stretched out over the length of the book, which adds an interesting almost component that makes you want to go back and re-read parts.  Additionally, there are inserts of tweets and a blog, that help the reader to really feel the desperation and fear of the situation.  This is Where it Ends has found itself on the New York Times bestseller’s list for good reason.  It’s not a topic often read about in fiction writing- a delicate matter has been tackled, and the ugliness, terror, and tragedy is not glossed over.  Mareike Nijkamp’s next book, Before I let Go, will be out in January of 2018.