The End of Everything

A Novel

By: Megan Abbott

Narrated by: Emily Bauer

Thirteen-year-old Lizzie Hood and her next-door neighbor Evie Verver are inseparable, best friends who swap clothes, bathing suits, and field-hockey sticks and between whom—presumably—there are no secrets. Then one afternoon, Evie disappears, and as a rabid, giddy panic spreads through the balmy suburban community, everyone turns to Lizzie for answers. Was Evie unhappy, troubled, or upset? Had she mentioned being followed? Would she have gotten into the car of a stranger?

Compelled by curiosity, Lizzie takes up her own furtive pursuit of the truth. Haunted by dreams of her lost friend and titillated by her own new power at the center of the disappearance, Lizzie uncovers secret after secret and begins to wonder if she knew anything at all about her best friend.

©2011 Megan Abbott (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Megan Abbott writes with total authority and an almost desperate intensity; her story grabs hold of you and won’t let go.” (Tom Perrotta, New York Times best-selling author)

Note much like a teen.

This so called teen story is so way off anything I have seen or heard of. Actually I'll scratch that, and say....this story & characters are weird and not truly representing teens or parents. I can't find where Maggie found these characters. It's just freaky and not normal. Yet, it's written like the only weird part is the disappearance.

Strange, take on adult, male and young female relationships

I’m not sure what to think about this story. I thought it was well written. However, the central character seem to glorify the strange relationship between adult men and girls. I’ve read books where sexual inappropriate and predatory behavior was a part of the plot. However, this one never seem to get to the point that those behaviors are inappropriate. So it was a very uncomfortable read. Not sure that I liked it.

expertly crafted characters

reminds you how easily young minds misinterprete what they see and how they romanticse the abhorrent from their innocent point of view.

Strong read, though not really for younger readers

I'm not generally a consumer of YA fiction, but I liked the premise of this book. The story was enough to keep you plowing through the pages, and the fact that you weren't sure who to trust or believe only made it more enjoyable. The author captured the changing nature of childhood friendships very realistically, though some of the dialogue was a little lofty for teenagers. It was enjoyable to read, just not amazing in it's realism. Some of the themes were a bit heavy for younger readers (particularly those involving rape and molestation). I know these things happen, I just don't think the reactions or choices of some of the characters were completely plausible under the circumstances. The subtext of incest was also disturbing, and I'm not sure those feelings or thought swere as fleshed out as they could have been. For adults though, it is a good read and nostalgic in a dark way.

Disturbing…

I found this hard to get through. I guess the mystery elements were very well developed and the characters compelling because I wanted to hang in there long enough to find out what happened to Evie and what the heck was happening in this Verver family. I was also hoping the narrator would come to a conclusion about the difference between love and violence but she never does…a conclusion I’m not sure the author ever came to either? Like I get the theme about girls sexuality and how perilous it is to be discovering and working out that sexuality in a world where you are either ignored or sexually objectified. I get that the narrator is confused and she’s trying to make something beautiful out of an incredible trauma. But how the story ends up landing and the authors interviews about it which I read trying to make some sense of these story choices end up here putting way too much onus on the girls themselves. Yes girls have desires and they are complicated and uncomfortable for the adults that want to protect them but their desires are not what endangers them, the adults who prey on and use children for their own ends is the danger and it feels irresponsible not to make that at least a bit more clear. And I found the voice, the repetition all the long repetitive flowery passages annoying.