Book Review for Convergence by Jesse Clary
I received a free copy of this book from the author. This has, in no way, shaped my review.
Convergence, by Jesse Clary, is an apocalyptic horror about a man who, in spite of the end of the world looming over him, does everything he can to fulfill his wife’s last request. Jay is a widower that has yet to make peace with his wife’s passing. While the Anomaly, a strange black diamond floating in the sky, has just marked the earth for death, Jay decides to take his wife’s ashes back to her home town as a way to honor her memory. On the way there, he meets a woman named Benu, and together, they travel through an apocalyptic hellscape where they encounter monsters of all types, both human and mutated.
I enjoyed Clary’s horrifying depictions of the monsters in the story, and how completely deceptive they can be. From humans starting a cult all to reclaim some semblance of peace, to monsters who can disguise themselves as loved ones, Clary ensures that the reader is on edge for every little encounter the characters come across. Moreover, I like how, in spite of the strangeness the Anomaly has on human beings, Clary decides to not make this story into a traditional hero-saves-the-world plot line. After all, when it comes to humanity, there is no such thing as morality; only survival. This is depicted well with Carla, and how she uses her powers to kill people, a mercy in this world, and Jay, who doesn’t do anything grand with his flame powers, and instead, uses them to heat up a can of beans, a kindness that would’ve been overlooked had the world not been ending. I like how the dead, at times, speak louder than the living, which brings me to another thing; the fact that Clary didn’t depict humans as outright monsters and just a struggling race finding ways to cope with the fact that they will all die in the end was extraordinary. You read a lot of apocalyptic stories in which everyone has gone completely insane, so this story was refreshing. The fact that, as you keep reading, there’s a countdown until the end of the world, just adds to the tension.
I absolutely loved how Clary handled grief. Even though mental health professionals will say that there are seven steps, and true, people will sometimes go through those steps over and over again, there’s still so much that we don’t know about the human mind. We may comfort ourselves in ways that may be odd to others; for instance, bringing an infant into a world that’ll end in about nine days. Then of course, there are more relatable coping skills that may denote our vulnerability. Lorenzo and his illusions, and even Carla and how she uses her powers, are examples of this. Even Benu and how she reacted to her family’s passing is completely understandable.
As such, because of it’s terrifying monsters, as well as it’s masterful handling of human grief as a whole, I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.
