Andrew Smith’s 2014 novel Grasshopper Jungle is one of my favorite books of all time, and I had no idea until recently that he, five years later, released this sequel, although I believe you could read this one without reading the first. Exile From Eden takes place approximately sixteen years after the first book, wherein the son of the first protagonist is dealing with the fallout of the new world. For those of us who either didn’t read Grasshopper Jungle or forgot about it, humanity has essentially been driven either underground or into hiding by a horde of gigantic, unkillable, man-eating praying mantises that were released from a lab. Grasshopper Jungle was witty, irreverent, and captured a totally unique look into the mindset of a young teenage boy growing up in rural America, and while Exile From Eden tries to capture the same magic, it falls a little flat.

Arek has spent his entire life in the hole. Underground, safe and away from the monsters on the surface, he sits in a bunker with little to do but hang around with his best and only friend Mel, the only other kid in the bunker. His two fathers, Austin and Robby, move between the bunker and outside of the hole, collecting supplies and attempting to find and connect with other people who may have survived the apocalypse. But when they don’t come back one day, and Arek is left to spend his days with his psychotic grandmother, his catatonically depressed mother, and the other few unusual characters in the bunker, he can’t deal with it. Stealing away to enter the outside world on his own for the first time, Mel tagging along, he sets off on a journey to find his fathers and bring them back safely, all the while realizing that the world outside of the hole is still worth saving.

What I loved about Grasshopper Jungle and what I love about Exile From Eden is the way that Andrew Smith describes the inner thoughts of a sixteen year old. When I read YA, one of the things I notice is how mature and wise the protagonists sound. I know teenagers can be smart, but I definitely was not putting together military strategy or doing other complex things at that age. None of Smith’s protagonists, Arek included, are stupid, but they act so realistically and react exactly how I might imagine a teen to act. Arek is a loyal, compassionate boy with immense love for his fathers and even a lot of sympathy for his mother. He’s wildly interested in history, particularly art history, and kind to his best friend Mel. He’s also scared bugfuck shitless of the world outside of the hole, has no illusions that he can destroy monsters, is everlastingly bitter about being socked in the balls once, and spends a not insignificant amount of the novel wondering why he’s sweating so much around Mel. I love him. The dynamic Smith sets up within the minds of his protagonists, where they are intelligent and complex but also totally childish and realistic. This is representation for actual teenagers, particularly teenage boys, who I feel like we see disappointingly less of in YA SFF these days.

However, part of the original appeal of Grasshopper Jungle was that there was a lot going on and our original protagonist, Austin, was dealing with some serious personal issues in a small town. The book was only moderately about the release of killer grasshoppers from underground labs and mostly about Austin coming to terms with his sexuality while still being in a relationship with a girl, and how to handle that. The balance between science fiction and emotional turmoil was perfect. Yet, Arek doesn’t find that balance. A lot of this book is spent wandering around without much emotional turmoil or sci-fi action. Arek’s main problem with his emotions is that he’s unsure if what he feels towards Mel is romantic or platonic, which is a pretty commonplace issue, and his encounters with the mantises are few and far between. This book is far slower and just overall has a lot less going on. There were definitely amusing points among this road trip, such as Arek not understanding that horror movies are fake, but most of it was just him and Mel in the van, meandering through the wildnerness. I know we should judge books based on their individual features, but compared to the brilliance of Grasshopper Jungle this one fades in comparison. Nothing wrong, exactly, but nothing exciting either.

Lastly, I just didn’t feel like the representation was really there. I loved Arek’s mother, Shannon, in the last book. She was strong but compassionate, played an equal part in the story, and felt really integrated into the narrative. Here, Mel doesn’t really do a whole lot, serving to play a kind but functionally useless character throughout the book. This might be a symptom of the fact that nothing really happens throughout the book and she’s just part of that, but it was still disappointing. There was also a subplot involving a Black character roaming the world that felt… off, at best. He was a great and intelligent character that showed a lot how the world outside had changed, but to cast his first Black character in a wild child role was not a choice I would’ve made.

Ultimately, Exile From Eden is a sequel that does too little, too late. I’ll still love Grasshopper Jungle for all its superb moments, zany and heartbreaking in equal measure, but this book is too mediocre to stand up against its predecessor.

Exile from Eden: or, After the Hole, the post-apocalyptic sequel to Grasshopper Jungle, finds Arek, the son of Austin and Robby, crushing on his best friend Mel and living in the underground bunker with her, his two dads, mother and grandmother. Ten-foot-tall praying mantises have wiped out most of the human population, but they are dying off. Austin and Robby set off in a small plane to find other survivors and when they don't come back, Arek and Mel go on their own RV road trip to find them. Meanwhile in alternating chapters readers learn about earlier years in the hole, as well as the tale of a 12-year-old wild boy "Breakfast" and his chimpanzee friend, Olive. Philosophical passages and reflection on the paintings of Max Beckmann mix with Arek's longing for Mel and his fear of his hyper-religious grandmother's threat to circumcise him. As with the first book, sexual longing is explored in detail, making this also a book for more mature readers.

I loved the first book, but this one did not sit well with me. The representation of the main character's relationships with the female characters, the description and representation of the only character of color. I don't think I will recommend this book.

If you read Grasshopper Jungle, you will definitely enjoy Exile from Eden. This book gives a glimpse into life after the apocalypse. And it's really nice to get to know Arek and Mel.

You ever really loved a sequel but it’s hard for you to read because you are WORRIED about the characters you love? That has been my reading experience with Exile from EDEN. Some writers are very good at what they do.

Exile from Eden is brilliant. I loved Olive. And the sneaky (I think intentional) nod to @ShaunieDarko. And Arek, and his relationship with his dads, and his expanding universe. All stories are true the moment they are told

Arek is sixteen years old and has lived underground his entire life. The surface is infested with six-foot-tall creatures that look like praying mantises. Arek’s dads left on a mission and have not returned. He wants to find out what happened to them and is willing to risk the unknown to look for them. He sets out in an RV without any set plans. His best friend, Mel, hid in the van and wants to help him with his quest. Will Arek find his dads in this big empty world? Are there any more humans left on the surface?

Exile from Eden is the long-awaited sequel to Grasshopper Jungle. Those who read the original story will not be disappointed in this next generation of pubescent boys discovering and thinking about all the changes that happen. The greatest part of this version is Arek doesn’t have the world of knowledge our boys get with everyday life; he was the only boy in the hole and the women of the hole kept many things hidden. Smith did a wonderful job describing what life might have been like in this post-apocalyptic world. I recommend Exile from Eden to everyone who enjoyed Grasshopper Jungle, but please don’t pick it up if you don’t want to know what teenage boys are thinking.

I deeply enjoyed this book, just as I enjoyed Grasshopper Jungle. I really like the overall philosophical questions grappled with by Arek in this book. Arek is complex and his first-person narration uncovers complexities of the post-apocalyptic world. Breakfast is interesting as a "wild" boy, who sees the world completely differently than others. Austin and Robby are interesting as characters who "straddle" two worlds. All these characters are handled deftly and with a complexity of thought. Do we see where this is going? The most notable female characters are: Mel, who has very little development outside of thinking Arek is silly and being braver than Arek, Wendy, who is repressive in Arek's eyes, and Olive, a chimpanzee. Although this is a failing of the book, it overall offers a complex and nuanced metaphor for a changing world. This metaphorical complexity is sorely needed in young adult literature, I think. And it may be a bit too complex in some ways in EfE. This is the line this book straddles, between nuance and complexity for young adults and something that works better in adult literary fiction.

I wasn't a fan of this. I think it's been a bit too long since I read grasshopper jungle and that maybe I've outgrown Andrew Smith's particular sense of humor. At least in terms of this book. It was just fairly surreal and I couldn't remember enough to see how they connected.

Exile from Eden, the eagerly awaited sequel to Grasshopper Jungle, is amazing, possibly better than the original. Focused on new characters, with flashbacks to our favorites- Austin and Robby- from the first novel (thankfully Shan is not featured prominently). The book is thoughtful and meditative on the human condition while also being action-packed and quite funny. It's hard to write much more without spoiling the fun, but I highly recommend this sequel- and the original to those who missed it.

Would it be terrible to say that I think I enjoyed this more than Grasshopper Jungle? Or maybe, it's better to say, I couldn't have enjoyed this as much as I did if GJ didn't exist. Regardless, I absolutely love what Andrew Smith did with this novel. Although it's not nearly as bizarre as GJ was, I think I appreciated that more because the tone of the book matched, so perfectly, with who Arek is. Additionally, I love that not only is this an absolutely fantastic coming of age story, but it is a wonderful story about fathers & sons. I mean honestly, the exploration of the relationship between Arek and Austin (and Robby too!!) is wonderful and refreshing and it is awesome to see such a positive image of that father(s)/son relationship.

While I wish the ladies of the book had been a bit more developed, especially Mel because of the role she is supposed to play in Arek's life, at the end of the day, this is Arek's story and I feel like I got exactly what I wanted there.

Is this book perfect? Of course not, but that's what I love about Andrew Smith's work in general. It's imperfections are what build those totally awesome layers and I always enjoy reading my way through them. Additionally, in a world of a sameness, Andrew Smith does a phenomenal job of writing complex stories completely outside the box that are thought provoking and interesting. That, more than anything, is what I appreciate most.

Naturally, I think this is a must have for YA collections and I think that those who enjoyed Grasshopper Jungle, are going to absolutely love this follow-up, I know I did.

Sidebar - Not gonna lie, I Googled Max Beckmann and his work to no end and now I am utterly fascinated by him. Thank you, Mr. Smith, for that :)