This book was an interesting debut, with a unique writing style. It was prose with poetic timing and spacing, and painted a surprisingly deep picture, considering that all of the characters are known only by an initial and there is no conversation. I am interested to see where the author goes from here.
3.5 stars

The End We Start From is a short novel that feels like a poem. This is a survival story about climate change, mothers, babies, loss, and love. The main character's thoughts are honest and authentic. Most of the story is about baby Z growing up.

I didn't enjoy the sparse prose, however, I do think it was done in order to simplify the story, much like the main character's life has been simplified to bare essentials. It felt like I was reading someone's notes for their intended story. There is no dialogue, but plenty of awkward sentences that didn't make much sense to me. All of the characters are referred to by only the first letter of their name, which made me feel unattached to them. I simply wanted more.

The End We Start From is great for anyone looking for a quick read.

The End We Start From by Megan Hunter is a first novella by its author, a story in a dystopian setting that begins as its title suggests, at the end—the potential apocalyptic end of civilization as its known during an unknown time in the future.

Its story focuses on a young, pregnant woman who gives birth to a baby boy she and her partner name, Z. But, with his birth not only comes the emotional joy and bond of motherhood, but a time in which the world is in an environmental crisis, one which devastates land with flood and people homeless and nomadic.

The novella in its less than 140-page story, tells a narrative of scarcity, sickness, death, and for some, survival.

The narrative, too, almost becomes a stylistic comment on the theme of the book, the way it is written so sparingly, as if prose itself is stripped to its basic necessity. The narrative is more prose poem than it is detailed novel writing.

The names of characters, too, are not fully named, but are rather diminished to single letters, as if the characters themselves, like in the potential danger of the apocalyptic theme, have also diminished to a lesser identity or a figurative identity that could be everyone—or anyone—in a mass apocalypse.

What is personal in the story is the narrative of the main character, the woman who becomes mother, how this pivotal role has involuntarily helped her fall in love with her child, with motherhood, even in the direst circumstances. It gives her at the very least, a hard resolve to focus all of her energy on the survival of her son, whose blissful ignorance is both a blessing and a curse.

While the narrative can be considered lyrical in the sense that it is not traditionally prose, the scarcity in detail can and may frustrate readers who prefer not to work so hard to imagine the gaps in which the author leaves for readers to interpret or extrapolate.

And sometimes this type of narrative misses the opportunity to really depict a fuller experience of the senses in the story. But, rather leaves a stark, inexplicable setting that readers may not fully enjoy because of the lack of detail and connection.

And because of its short size, the story does only a sparse job in giving what seemed a superficial account of plot and character dimension in what could be a compelling dystopian story.

Still, if you’re not looking for a long narrative, don’t dislike poetry or a lack of detailed prose, and want a peek at what could be a catastrophic, environmental crisis, then yes, this little novella is for you.

Otherwise, it’s an interesting, yet superficial take on the instinct and hardship involved in attempting to survive in an apocalyptic world where flood, famine, and loss are at its most relevant.

***

Characters: 3 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Language/Narrative: 2.5 stars
Dialogue: 2.5 stars
Pacing: 2.5 stars
Cover Design: 2.5 stars

***

Zara’s Overall Rating: 2.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I am not sure what I just read. For the record, I am not a fan of poetry or short stories (they just aren’t my thing. I am more old school, beginning-middle-end kind of girl who prefers definitive endings) and it is extremely evident that Megan Hunter is a poet, and not a writer.
“The End We Start From” sounds promising. A young family is stranded after (what we can assume) a flood has (what we can assume) destroyed their home. They now must travel with their young son from commune to commune (or something like that), forging new friendships while watching their son grow. The promise is there but the format leaves a lot to be desired.
The writing is choppy and I understand that it is told that way intentionally, to reinforce to the readers the sporadic nature of the current time in the novel. However, I found it really hard to follow and it left me with more questions than answers. I read the entire novel in two days (it was very short, the choppy writing did provide that at least) and still had no idea what happened, how it happened, what happened afterward, etc. (Isn’t this the idea of a story after all?) The characters were referred to by letters instead of names, which was creative until there is more than one person in a plotline, then it just gets confusing.
This novel was a quick read (as mentioned) and because of this, I was able to read it in (nearly) one sitting. I was able to quickly form bonds with the characters and take an interest in their welfare. However, since I don’t know what happened to them at the end, this also makes me feel a little cheated.
“The End We Start From” by Megan Hunter has incredible promise, and I hope that Hunter produces more novels in the future, as her creativity is very evident in her poetic writing. However, I hope she sticks to a regular novel format (as boring as that may seem), that allows her readers to experience the full novel, and not just snippets.

I read many good reviews for this book on other book blogs, so I wanted to read it too. It is a very original story.

It reminded me a lot of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. The world is in an unidentified crisis. The narrator's house has been flooded and supplies are limited. There is no more internet. Everything in the world unravels around her but she stays grounded through her son.

I like how the story shows the woman's tough journey through motherhood that coincides with this new world. Though she is always comparing things to what she used to know, her son, Z, will only know this new world.

This story has a beautiful lyrical quality to it. The narrator's voice is interspersed with excerpts of human origin stories from mythology or religion. It reflects the way that this is her son's own origin story, in this new world.

I really enjoyed this story. I recommend it if you want to read something short and poetic.

<p>Remember that second-a-day charity ad from a few years ago: </p>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBQ-IoHfimQ

<p>(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBQ-IoHfimQ">link</a>)</p>

<p>So <A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/19684029/book/142277077">The End We Start From</a> is basically that writ large (and from the perspective of a new mum rather than a kid): London has fallen and they flee to the north. The narrator has a newborn, Z, and while the world around her disintegrates, hers concentrates until it contains only herself and her son. Then, as her son takes his first steps, it widens open again and the book ends.</p>

<p>It's a quick read, and written by a poet, so it has that written-by-a-poet feel (lyrical rather than prosaic, ethereal rather than solid). It also can be read as a straightforward dystopia narrative or a metaphor for the few months of motherhood -- the upheaval, the uncertainty, the one-on-one between primary caregiver and infant to the detriment of all else. The world, in this book, literally and figuratively, falls away. And it's short, so we never get too gloomy or wallowing, because the forward momentum of the novel keeps us going.</p>

<p><A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/19684029/book/142277077">The End We Start From</a> by Megan Hunter went on sale November 7, 2017.</p>

<p><small>I received a copy free from <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> in exchange for an honest review.</small></p>

I couldn't finish this book and if someone would ask me what it is about I really can't remember what I did read. It just isn't for me

Lyrical meditaiton on motherhood. Life goes on, miracle in each moment, regardless of external events.
Shorter than I expected, may be difficult to recommend to male customers, or younger women.
Easy to relate for all mothers.
Thank you

This novel packs a lot into a short space and in a very unique approach to this type of book (post-catastrophe). The writing was beautiful but I found the sparseness to sometimes impair my ability to follow the plot.

I wasn't expecting the book to be quite so short; I had it finished in maybe half an hour? It's not heavy on the plot, which is the reason I picked it up, as it had an interesting premise. It's more a tribute to motherhood. I found it well written but overall I guess it just didn't capture my attention or move me as much as I'd been hoping for.