The Dog Stars, by Peter Heller
18/30 | Started 04.29.21 • Finished 05.09.22 | 4 stars
This choice came by way of Anne Bogel over at What Should I Read Next? This post-apocalyptic novel follows a character named Hig as he tries to survive following a worldwide pandemic. He and fellow survivor Bangley have a pretty safe routine going at their compound outside Denver until one day Hig decides he's going to fly his plane beyond the point of no return.
It was memory that threw me. I tried hard not to remember and I remembered all the time.
The novel is written in Hig's own voice and often reads like train of thought rather than organized prose, which actually served to help me connect with him and the story. Though dark, there's enough beauty and lightness to make the story not so depressing. I appreciate these kinds of stories because they show the grit of humanity. While I didn't like the ambiguous ending, as hopeful as it was, I'm a fan of the book overall. If you liked Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven or Cormac McCarthy's The Road, you'll probably enjoy this as well. And if you haven't read those two, then go pick them up while you're at it!
I groaned. Why don’t we have a word for the utterance between laughing and crying?