"The Youngster" embodies a delicious balance of chaos, frustration and desperation. The novel is aptly devised with all the right emotional material to evoke a profound sense of existential crisis. It offers a precise and unflinching introspection into the strength of human connection, diving deeper into the complexities of relationships with remarkable depth. The fondness, resentment, and regrets we often reserve for those we love are beautifully portrayed here. "The Youngster" brilliantly captures the raw vulnerability of both being loved and loving someone. The writing is sharp, evocative and unflinching. The philosophical exploration of life added with a hint of mystery to reach an epiphany was absolutely brilliant.

Thank you, NetGalley for the copy of this book.

[Disclaimer: It's a very intriguing book, brilliant in its narration and ability to elicit such strong emotions in me. So, written below is not a review but just my feelings about the *plot*.]

I hated this. I hated this so much. Not because it's a poorly written story (it's not). No. But because I wouldn't want this to happen even to my enemies. Even to people I loathe.

I hate Sam. I hate Alan. I hate the fact that the probability of this story happening to people in real life is actually not that slim. I hate it so much because it broke my heart into uncountable pieces. Oh god.

Georgie and her mother, Cherry, have always been a team. Growing up with each other, they have had their own share of fights and disagreements, but the way they love and understand each other, no one else can. But when the world suddenly comes to a standstill as a virus wrecks havoc everywhere (very reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic, even though the name isn't mentioned anywhere), the lives of this mother-daughter duo start falling apart in unimaginable ways.

Cherry is fast losing her memory due to the onset of vascular dementia and Georgie has caught the virus– both flickering at the edge between life and death, both in each other's thoughts continously but so far from each other physically.

It's the story of circumstances going as wrong as they could and people being monsters. My feelings might be too strong because this was a story that hit too close to home, but I don't care. I hate people like Sam and Alan who are so self-righteous that they often forget the people around them have brains and emotions and feelings of their own. I hated Sam for being so selfish when it concerned his mother-in-law. I hated Alan for being a literal manipulative maniac in a human's disguise. I hated it all so much that my heart hurts. For the first time, I don't want to engage in any empathy with these two characters. And I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive either of them.