The Handmaid’s Tale meets Wilder Girls in this genre-defying novel about a girl who escapes a terrifying cult only to discover that the world Outside has succumbed to a viral apocalypse.
Agnes loves her home of Red Creek — its quiet, sunny mornings, its dusty roads, and its God. There, she cares tirelessly for her younger siblings and follows the town’s strict laws. What she doesn’t know … younger siblings and follows the town’s strict laws. What she doesn’t know is that Red Creek is a cult, controlled by a madman who calls himself a prophet.
Then Agnes meets Danny, an Outsider boy, and begins to question what is and isn’t a sin. Her younger brother, Ezekiel, will die without the insulin she barters for once a month, even though medicine is considered outlawed. Is she a sinner for saving him? Is her sister, Beth, a sinner for dreaming of the world beyond Red Creek?
As the Prophet grows more dangerous, Agnes realizes she must escape with Ezekiel and leave everyone else, including Beth, behind. But it isn’t safe Outside, either: A viral pandemic is burning through the population at a terrifying rate. As Agnes ventures forth, a mysterious connection grows between her and the Virus. But in a world where faith, miracles, and cruelty have long been indistinguishable, will Agnes be able to choose between saving her family and saving the world?
3.5/ 4stars. The writing was good.
I’m honestly at a loss for how to even put my thoughts in to words right now because WHAT IN THE HELL DID I JUST READ?!
When you compare a book to Wilder Girls then lure a deadly pandemic in my face, I’m expecting lots of gore as well as diversity. I mean, that’s literally what Wilder Girlswas.
Oh but wait, instead, what I got was a Christian dystopian novel where all the characters are cis, white, and able bodied. And the kicker? The main character is a prophet of God and this whole story is the modern day retelling of the rapture.
The only redeeming quality that this book has is that this book is narrated by Brittany Pressley.
What an emotional, powerful story filled with hope, faith in oneself, love and oh, a pandemic. An eerie coincidence given what’s going on in the world right now. This weird virus afflicting people is very strange and it added a little mystery and suspense to the story that I quite liked. I would have liked a little more exploration of the virus though as I was very intrigued by it. I enjoyed the dual POVs between Agnes and her sister Beth. The love between the two and the rest of their siblings was really great to witness. Overall it was a very enjoyable read. It held my interest throughout the book and I think a lot of people will enjoy this one!u2063
I absolutely was absorbed by the amount of originality throughout the story which was full of strength of character and courage to step up for your family and rising to the call for the greater good. Agnes was an individual that resonates beyond the pages because of the realism of her character. She begins her journey starts with tentative steps but, by the end, Agnes comes to her own through her faith in something better and valor to face the dark spaces in the world and fill them with light.
Agnes at the End of the World rips the heart from a well-trod genre, resurrecting it as something glittering and serene. What emerges is a complex tapestry of dystopian nightmares, rank idolatry, glowing spirituality, love, hope, and feminist power.
In honesty, end-of-world stories are absolutely where my heart leans, but I’ve been burned by so many tired testosterone brigades in the genre that I’ve stepped away from it. But when I saw this book, I knew that I had to take a chance, and I’m really glad I did.
This is exactly the kind of book that I always hope to read. Strong driving plot, compelling, passionate characters, a dark pulse of danger, and something beautiful and magical sparkling in the darkness.
On the surface, it is two stories woven together: the story of a fundamentalist cult and the oppressed girls raised under its thrall, and the strange magic of a pandemic that contorts physical connections into ruby chrysalis. The book manages to hold mundane elements of contemporary humanity alongside new weird paranormal and a timeless biblical undercurrent; in its way it feels absolutely now, and absolutely eternal.
I don’t often read books with a strong spiritual center; as a queer reader, I often end up feeling angry and alienated. However, my thesis examined imagery of the Virgin Mary, through research on the bible and apocryphal texts – and on rare occasions, I can really connect with stories that focus not on godliness, but on humanity within the mythos of the scriptures.
I could write a whole thesis on the spiritual elements of this story. For now, I’ll just say that I see Agnes as a delicate, powerful Jeanne D’Arc.
As always, I do read for diversity, and I’ll say that these elements struck an unusual balance in this book. Because of Agnes’ fundamentalist origins, she’s raised in a very sexist, racist community. Her entire world is white until the story begins, which feels true to the world, but limits the representation on the page.
When Agnes connects with Outsiders, she connects with several people of color, and there’s no moment when she must confront her own prejudices; she never personally held them. The story sidesteps explorations of race-based cultural differences; because all Outsiders are strange to Agnes, the outside world gives the impression of a post-racial society. I liked this element, but the tradeoff is that the racial diversity is more external than cultural.
There’s also strong illness rep, as Type 1 Diabetes is a central thread in the story. It’s handled with urgency and compassion (and I really appreciated that the author’s note acknowledges that this element comes from outside her own experience).
As a queer reader, I found so many elements of the story resonating with my own experience and those in our communities; Agnes’ story is about breaking from expectations, discovering her true self, and living a life of integrity and love. My sense is that, though there were no queer characters on the page, if Agnes were to have encountered any queer communities in her journey, she would have embraced them.
All told, get ready for a beautiful, dark story that is rich enough to merit rereads for years to come.
Agnes is a young girl living in a sect, she obeys her father and the prophet, she follows the rules and is very religious. However, she breaks the rule once a month to find a stranger who provides her with the medicine to save her younger brother Ezekiel. Beth, her 15-year-old younger sister, is a little more rebellious and will try to find out what Agnes is hiding from her. I won’t say any more about the story except that Agnes meeting Danny will change everything.
I was really touched by this story, I’m not particularly religious and it’s hard to imagine how women or young girls can accept being treated as objects by the patriarchs, but I know it exists and it’s terrifying.
Agnes is adorable, she wants to save her brother, it’s not that she loves him more but just that he needs more attention because of his type 1 diabetes. When the disease starts to affect strangers and the prophet thinks about locking everyone up, Agnes on her side thinks about running away.
Beth is eccentric, she doesn’t understand why she has to follow the rules, listen to what the men say, don’t leave their town Red Creek, don’t talk to boys unless it’s your father, brother or husband. Beth is in rebellion. I love her very much, it’s true that at times those reactions may have been intense and out of proportion, but she’s only 15 years old.
Danny, what about that nice young man who wants to be a doctor and who’s going to take over from his mother to take Agnes’ medicine. He’s really cute. His attachment to Agnes and Ezekiel is adorable.
Quite frankly this book deals with the theme of worship, belief and rebellion in a very intelligent way. I really liked everything, I even liked to hate all those patriarchs who think that giving a 15 year old girl in marriage to an old man who already has 6 wives is a good thing. I also loved the destruction not of Agnes’ faith because it is not the case, but of her vision of life under anyone’s orders.
Kelly McWilliams has written a beautiful story with endearing characters that reads quickly and makes you feel a lot of different things.
I loved my time inside the pages of this book and always had a difficult time putting it down. I enjoyed the characters that leapt from the pages and were so real to me. The family, friendships, and faith dramas, as well as learning to love yourself and respect diversity made this a well-rounded novel and one of my favorite books of the year. If you enjoy character-driven stories, stories that keep you guessing with surprises and twists, friendship, family (including found family too), and slow-burn, respectful romance, then this is a book for you.