The Great Unknowable End

December 15, 2018
An ordinary Kansas town experiences the extraordinary over the summer of 1977.When 17-year-old Stella's brother left the family two years ago for Red Sun, a nearby commune, Stella had to abandon her dreams of becoming an engineer to take care of her little sister while their father worked long hours. Galliard, a 16-year-old musician with Tourette's, was the first person born and raised at Red Sun. When Galliard's application for resident artist is denied, he does something he's never done: considers life Outside. Then several unusual things happen: pink lightning streaks through the sky, blood-red rain soaks the ground, and oddest of all, a clock appears, projected by an unseen source, on the face of the town hall--and on Stella's closet door. The titular unknowable end refers not only to the mysterious countdown, but also to the teens' futures. Can--will--Stella and Galliard (who take turns narrating) forge new paths for themselves, or will they remain stuck in their respective traps? Who--or what--is responsible for the countdown, and what will happen when time runs out? Drive-in showings of Star Wars, the dawn of the punk-rock explosion, the final days of Son of Sam's reign of terror, and the death of Elvis are just some of the events firmly grounding the story in reality. Assume whiteness throughout. Realism with a hint of science fiction will inspire readers to question their own trajectories. (Historical fiction. 13-18)

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March 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Stella designs space reentry capsules in her spare time from her two part-time jobs and helping to raise her younger sister, but her dream of becoming an engineer has been put on hold since her mother died and her older brother joined the Red Sun cult. Gaillard was born into Red Sun and prays to his stars, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, and Janis Joplin. He's never been much interested in the outside world, especially since he doesn't think his Tourette's syndrome would be accepted there, but he's forced to reconsider when he is assigned kitchen work and can't pursue his dreams of becoming a resident musician. Stella and Gaillard alternate narration as they find each other and consider their futures over the course of August 1977 in small-town Slater, Kansas. Historical events, such as the moon landing Stella witnessed as a child, the opening of Star Wars, and the news frenzy over the police pursuit and arrest of the Son of Sam are tightly woven into the plot. Meanwhile, unexplained events such as pink lightning, blood rain, and mysterious countdown clocks appearing in the town square and in Stella's closet make for a subtly eerie atmosphere that fans of Stranger Things or Welcome to Night Vale will feel right at home in. The many ambitious symbolic and narrative threads aren't quite wrapped up satisfactorily by the end, but readers of literary historical fiction will find plenty to sink their teeth into. VERDICT Recommended for large collections or where literary coming-of-age stories with fully realized settings are popular.-Grace Dwyer, New York Public Library

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