The End of the World

by Andrew Biss

Accustomed to a life of cosseted seclusion at home with his parents, Valentine is suddenly faced with making his own way in the world. His new life is quickly upended, however, when he's mugged at gunpoint. Finding shelter at a mysterious inn run by the dour Mrs. Anna, he soon encounters a Bosnian woman with a hole where her stomach used to be, an American entrepreneur with a scheme to implant televisions into people's foreheads, and a Catholic priest who attempts to lure him down inside a kitchen sink. Then things start getting strange... An odd, yet oddly touching tale of life, death, and the space in-between.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Short Stories, Ebooks, Novella

153 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2011

About the author

The works of award-winning author and playwright Andrew Biss have been produced in New York, London, Los Angeles, and many other cities across North America and Europe. His plays have won awards on both coasts of the U.S., critical acclaim in the U.K., and are an Off-Off-Broadway mainstay.

He is published by Smith & Kraus, Inc., Meriwether Publishing Ltd., and JAC Publishing & Promotions.

He is a graduate of the University of the Arts London, and a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.

Reviews

[Andrew Finazzo · Rating 1 out of 5]

The End of the World by Andrew Biss is a well written short story. Valentine has been raised by his eccentric parents in near complete isolation from the outside world. The story begins with him being kicked out of the house and follows him during his stay at an unusual inn called "The End of the World".

The story has an overtly self-righteous tone which becomes directly preachy in the latter half. The characters are bizarre but never manage to be interesting. For example, Valentine's mother is a simplified caricature of a character you would see in a Woody Allen movie.

Valentine himself plods through the adventure with a brash naivete. The storytelling is hampered by a homogeneity that specifically stands out when comparing Valentine's parents' home to The End of the World.

I'd actually be interested to see the play this was adapted from as I think there was a really good story lurking deep in the shadows of this novella.

[Natalie Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay, and really could have been half the length it was. The main character was so ignorant, thick headed, and annoying, which can pretty much be said of all the characters, which makes more sense after we discover everyone is in his head. And it was so easy to guess that he was dead and in some form of purgatory - I figured that out as soon as we met the woman with a hole in her stomach. I did find the religious and capitalist/consumerist commentary interesting, if a bit overbearing and force-fed. I don't think I'd recommend this, as I feel there are probably books out there that are more well done that get at the themes and plot better than this does.

[Kaytlin Hoover · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads' Giveaways.
I was looking forward to reading this book for its unique qualities, but I was disappointed. It's way too weird for me. The characters, though funny and different, are hard to connect to. By the time I got to the end (which didn't take long because it's only 87 pages), I felt like I'd been on a crazy ride to nowhere.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella—adapted from his own stage play—is populated by highly-stylised characters. As a lover of Beckett’s plays it was exactly my cup of tea. If you need your characters to be rooted in reality then you’ll struggle to connect with them (and I can see from some of the other reviews here that some have). Suffice say the book’s hero Valentine, who we first meet lounging on a couch in his parents’ living room trying to achieve a state of nothingness—how similar to Murphy at the start of Beckett’s novel of the same name—is an odd one. He’s been home-schooled and as far as he’s concerned ‘outside’ means either the front or the back garden; he’s been no further. The blame for him turning out a bit odd can be laid squarely at the feet of his parents. For example, as he’s lying on the couch his mother enters the room “seeming unusually perturbed”:

“Mother, you seem unusually perturbed. Has something happened?” I inquired.

“Happened? Yes, of course something has happened,” she snapped. “Something is always happening. Even when life appears to be grinding its gears it is always, regardless of perception, propelling itself forward.” She then aimed her authoritative, all-knowing right index finger directly at me and announced with great conviction, “Stasis is a lie of the mind!”

She has news. Some good, some bad. The bad news, to get it out of the way, is that he has to leave home and now although it’s unclear how exactly ‘now’ is to be interpreted: “Am I to leave now – at this instant? Or do I have…until morning at least?” he asks. It turns out that there isn’t much wriggle room there. The good news is that it’s because his bedroom will be required shortly by a new occupant, a brother or sister, because his mother has fallen pregnant:

“Yes, but…why? How?”

“The why is not for me to say – this is far, far bigger than you or I. Frankly, I’m surprised that you have the gall to posit such a question. As for the how, I believe we went over that several times during reproduction instruction, but, to recap, it is the result of your father’s sex organ being repeatedly thrust into my genital canal, culminating in the release of vast quantities of sperm into my uterus, one or two of which leech onto one of my eggs that have made the journey down through my fallopian tube, propagating yet another…” She waved her hand dismissively in my direction. “One of you.”

[…]

“And what if I were to say no?” I asked, firmly.

“Then you’d have every right to,” [my father] replied. “No one would stop you. It’s a word, nothing more. No one owns it.”

So, Valentine says, “No, I’m not going. I don’t want to. I suddenly find the prospect wholly unattractive and I refuse to go. No.” It doesn’t matter. His father had no objection to him saying the word ‘no’ but at the same time no intention of paying heed to it and much the same as the protagonists in Beckett’s novellas First Love and The End Valentine finds himself out the door with a few quid in his pocket and no clue what to do with himself:

My parents had sent me on my way with a small stipend and an enormous amount of love and goodwill. It didn’t take me long to realise, however, that this was the reverse of what I actually needed

[…]

My father had left me with the words, “My lad, the world is now your oyster.” And indeed it was: grey, rather slimy, and a sense of something fishy going on in the background that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. My initial impressions were a far cry from the glamorous fantasy I’d been entertaining all these years. It certainly wasn’t anything like it was portrayed to be in all of the films I’d obsessively watch at any given opportunity. There the world was much brighter, far more vibrant, and certainly a lot more colourful. This all seemed rather washed out and monochromatic.

Only a few hundred yards into this bleak—is it stating the obvious to say ‘Beckettian’?—landscape Valentine is accosted by a man in black: “Your money or your life!” After a short exchange in which he tries to reason with his assailant Valentine decides to give in to the only logical proposition that seems to makes any sense: he runs. Bullets fly after him but—miraculously—he escapes. Once he’s sure he’s no longer being pursued Valentine realises he needs to find a place to gather his thoughts and settles “upon a dubious-looking bed and breakfast establishment named, rather unnervingly, ‘The End of the World.’” This is where the rest of the book’s action is played out and mostly in the building’s kitchen to be honest.

The people he encounters whilst a guest of Mrs Anna, the proprietress, a woman who, like the building, “also appeared to have seen better days” are also inclined to oddness. She, like all the others he runs into—and those he’s lucky to only hear or hear of (e.g. the permanent residents)—are all basically caricatures, archetypes—a victim of war, an entrepreneur, a priest, his own mother—who appear one after the other, not unlike the ghosts who berate Scrooge, each with a point to make.

I knew nothing about the book when I started it. I’d had it lying around for a while and presumably had some idea what it was about when I first acquired it but all that had gone which was great because I was completely unaware of what was coming up; even the short blurb—which I read afterwards—says too much although, as is usually the case, if I’d only been paying attention it wouldn’t have been that hard to figure of what was going on. Thankfully I was too caught up in the writing to free sufficient brain cells to be bothered with all that and so the big reveal when it came did manage to actually surprise me a little.

This is a book people either love or loathe. It’s a funny book with a serious message, several serious messages in fact. The reviews are all over the place and to be fair some of the poorer ones have valid points to make. If these things are important to you. There is more telling than showing but personally I’ve never been bothered by this. I had no problem with Monsignor Dave appearing out of a kitchen sink, for example, just as I’ve no problem with Hamm's parents, Nagg and Nell, languishing in dustbins in Endgame. I didn’t think it was too short and I’m really not sure what good a second act would’ve done. There is a reason why Waiting for Godot needs a second act but Endgame certainly doesn’t. Neither does Sartre’s No Exit. Once a point is made there’s no need to keep hammering it into the ground.

But here’s why I really loved this book: It reminded me of me. As writers we write the kind of books we want to read. We make do with everyone else’s but then we have to make do with our own because we know what happens in them; there are no surprises. What we really want to read are books written by an us from an alternate universe (story idea there is anyone wants to jump on it) and that’s what I felt I’d found here. This is a book I could’ve written. There are similarities to all but one of my own six novels most of which in their own way also tip their hat to Beckett.

The End of the World is not a perfect book and I’m sure it’s a better play than this novelisation is a… well, novella but I can’t pretend I didn’t thoroughly enjoy every single page of this book which is why the five stars. I thought it was amazing and was so completely wrapped-up in it that I shrugged off any niggles that, had I been capable of being more objective, would’ve had me snip off a star. I definitely want to read this guy again but I’m also a bit nervous to because I can’t imagine I’ll connect with anything else he’s written in quite the same way. I’d love to be proved wrong though.

Bliss has been quite prolific over the years but mainly as a playwright. And all you have to do is look at his website to see that his plays are being performed worldwide. Why, I have to ask myself, have I never heard of him before?

I’ll leave you with a link to the rather delightful book trailer.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accustomed to a life of cosseted seclusion at home with his parents, Valentine is suddenly faced with making his own way in the world. His new life is quickly upended, however, when he gets mugged at gunpoint. Finding shelter at mysterious inn run by the dear Mrs Anna, he soon encounters a Bosnian woman with a hole where her stomach used to be, an American entrepreneur with a scheme to implant televisions into people's foreheads, and a Catholic priest who attempts to lure him down inside a kitchen sink. Then things start getting strange.... An odd, yet touching tale of life, death, and the space inbetween.

This novella is just 89 pages long. I thought this short story was totally weird. The characters are unique and I don't think I'll come across characters like them again. You need to suspend your beliefs before you start reading this book this entertaining and fun read. I don't think I'd like to stay at The End of the World Bed and Breakfast. This book won't be for everyone.

#KindleBook.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never so quickly found myself fighting to stay with a book. Literally in the first 5 pages I was already wrangling against a strong instinct to DNF it (something I rarely do). The problem is that the dialogue is so very drawn out and far too self-aware and WAY too proud of itself. It made me wonder about how much better the initial drafts were of this work.

Having said that, the author does settle himself down after the first quarter and get into a story that is actually an interesting subject matter, if one that you've probably seen better framed before.

No spoilers here, but the ending does manage a touch of poignancy, and with the book being so short, I walked away not feeling that I'd fully wasted my time.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Strange. Odd. I don’t know how else to describe this book. And, um, I don’t want to die if I have to go to The End of the World. That’s really all I have to say.

There were two pieces of wisdom from a Marcel Proust that came out of nowhere, and I actually really liked them. I guess you can find a gem in every book!

“We don’t receive wisdom – we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one
can take for us or spare us from.”

“The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review first appeared on The Compulsive Reader: www.compulsivereader.com

With no experience of life outside his parents’ home, Valentine is told by his mother one fine day that it’s time he left the nest and embarked on a journey into the great mystery that exists beyond the front gate. Somewhat put out by this pronouncement, Valentine reluctantly leaves the only world he has ever known for the first and last time. Mere streets from home, he is set upon by a mugger. He flees and soon finds his way to a ramshackle establishment aptly named. The End of the World, run by the equally ramshackle Mrs Anna. This somewhat sour woman relieves Valentine of most of his money and informs him he can stay. The following morning, anticipating a full English breakfast, Valentine heads for the kitchen and meets Luka—“My name is Luka—I live on the second floor.”—the first in a series of oddball guests.

Unkempt and decidedly maudlin (for good reason), Luka lectures Valentine on the insignificance of his hunger in the face of the world’s atrocities—of which she has first-hand experience, having had her stomach blown apart by a neighbour fighting for a greater Serbia.

‘“There is no food. You must go hungry like the hordes of wretched souls you never gave a second thought to—except for the few guilt-ridden seconds when reading your newspapers and chewing your toast, only to turn the page to smaller tales of smaller pains that caused you smaller sadness. Here you must go hungry. No matter how you saw yourself before, here...here you are nothing...nothing special.”’

Chagrined by this encounter, and still hungry, Valentine takes matters into his own hands. Opening the fridge he is struck by a blinding light and the sight of a tall, bulbous-bellied man climbing from the space where the bacon and eggs should be. He of the fridge, Hank Raith, proceeds to sell Valentine on his certain to make a fortune idea of TV screens surgically implanted in the foreheads of uninteresting individuals desperate to capture the attention of their fellows.

‘“Imagine it. You’re just itchin’ to impart all the tedious detail of everything that’s hangin’ heavy on your mind to one of your co-workers at happy hour in the local bar. They’re bracin’ themselves for an hour or two of clenched teeth and thinkin’ to themselves “Won’t he ever shut the hell up” when suddenly, to their great surprise and delight, you produce a convienient palm-sized remote control that gives them the freedom to choose between all the latest news from CNN, up-to-the-minute sports action from ESPN, or a thought-provoking costume drama from your very own BBC, all at the touch of a button.”’

Relieved of the last of his cash, Valentine barely has time to recover his senses when Monsignor Dave bursts forth from the kitchen drain and appoints himself saviour of Valentine’s immortal soul. I’ll spare you the existential debate that ensues.

Surreal and unreal, The End of the World is very much Alice in Wonderland meets Beetljuice (1988 film starring Geena Davis and Michael Keaton). Having begun life in 2009 as a play, it comes as no surprise that the bulk of this novella is dialogue. To fully embrace the novella format the plot really could have done with further development (It tends to read like a script minus stage directions.) At times long-winded, Biss handles his characters’ utterances well. Though for the most part loathsome, these characters are all interesting, and each imparts something worthy of deeper thought.

Human-kind has pondered the meaning of life and death for millennia and arrived at an infinite list of possible answers. Indeed, without these so-called answers and their accompanying questions no religion could exist—not to mention students of philosophy and a good portion of the world’s literary works.. While it’s unlikely anyone could possibly write something new on this subject, what Biss has done with The End of the World is to create characters who express various viewpoints on what I assume Biss sees as the most noteworthy issues affecting our species, and rather than give us the answers—which, of course, he doesn’t have—encourages us to chew on these questions for ourselves. In this he has succeeded.

This ‘jerky for the mind’ is just the right length. Any longer and I would have lost interest. The writing style is humorous, deceptively light and drier than dust. The story’s ending is a little too pat for my liking: I’d have preferred something more profound. Still, The End of the World has been tied up in a neat little package, which is sure to please those who prefer to be offered answers rather than more questions.

Playwright Biss has created a generous body of work that has been produced in cities across North America and Europe. He has attracted numerous accolades and awards. With some fine-tuning he could do well as a novelist, if he so chooses.

[Frida Fantastic (book blogger) · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Cross-posted from Adarna SF)

The End of the World is a contemporary fantasy novella with an offbeat sense of humour. Valentine is a sheltered teenager who is thrown out of the house by his parents, and subsequently finds himself in a bizarre inn named The End of the World. When I say bizarre, I really do mean bizarre. Priests emerge out of kitchen sinks, the next door guest is walking around with a giant gunshot hole in what used to be her stomach, and Valentine tries to make sense of it all.

I enjoyed parts of this book. There’s some hilariously awkward dialogue between Valentine and his parents, and the narrative is sprinkled with colourful off-hand comments that require a double take. The humour tends toward the weird, dark, or perverted, which is all fine by me because it was done consistently. There’s a number of well-written descriptions, and I liked the story’s core message.

The book doesn’t reach its potential due to too much telling and not enough showing. The end notes state that this is a novella adapted from a play, which explains the heavy emphasis on dialogue and the noticeable lack of atmosphere, setting, or character interactions beyond sitting around and talking.

The story’s overall trajectory is predictable. The main conflict of the story is about Valentine trying to figure out what the inn is and how to move on, but the book description already spoils that this inn is based off purgatory, and it’s not much of a stretch to figure out what happened to him. Valentine also doesn’t get into much adventuring or much else before the story ends, so it feels like the entire second act is missing.

The characters are theatrical but unconvincing–more like types rather than real people. Valentine gets into an argument with a Catholic priest about religion, and I thought that the dialogue was so utterly silly that I couldn’t read it without cringing. I didn’t find the argument funny or intellectually stimulating, and that was the case with most of the dialogue in this book.

The problem with the other guests is that they are only characterized by where they came from and how they died. Beheaded Afghan man. Bosnian woman with no stomach. There wasn’t enough humanity or authentic slices of life to make them convincing. It’s like they were pulled out of the evening news report of who-died-in-the-world-today. Characters don’t have to be realistic or sympathetic to serve their role in a story, but they were caricatures without being funny or really doing anything. They were talking props for Valentine, and that was it.

I like the story’s central message regarding life and death, but it hits you over the head with it over and over again in dialogue which makes it lose its impact. In the end, I’m looking for a story to engage me in one of two ways: make me feel, or make me think. The best stories do both. Unfortunately, The End of the World does neither.

I think Biss has storytelling skill, but this adaptation needs to read more like a book. It’s not dealing with the limitations of a play, so there should be more action, scenes, and characters to beef up the second act. The message should be delivered through the progression of events rather than as infodumps through dialogue. A book is not limited by budget, sets, or actors–the only limit is imagination. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the play, but as a novella, I’d give it a miss.

Note: A free review copy was provided by the author.

[Kate Lansky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Because this book - more a novella really - is so short, and because the 'twist' happens so early, it's really hard to give a description without 'giving away' anything. Suffice it to say that this is the story of a young man, age unknown (seriously - anywhere from late teens to... who knows, mid-30s?), who is kicked out of the house by his very strange parents for no particular reason. The fact that the story works at all is due to the fact that the young man has NEVER LEFT THE HOUSE BEFORE, except to spend some time in the back yard. That's how protective his parents are. Oh, he's seen some tv, seen the news, etc... and his parents say he's clearly prepared to leave home, but it's obvious to the readers from the word go that it isn't true and bad things are going to happen.

And why do his parents kick him out? Because they find that they're expecting another baby, and they just don't have the space at home for more than one kid. Seriously.

So our intrepid... main character heads out, is deeply confused by the workings of the world, and ends up at a stopover/waypoint/hotel called 'End of the World", thus the title. The rest of the book takes place there, with one very sheltered, very confused, very well-spoken young man trying to stay sane amid a sea of crazy. Kind of.

This book... wasn't my style. It was so full of tropes and stereotypes and... nothing really felt original about it except the characters, who were themselves utterly unbelievable. The first couple pages of the book left me wondering if the writing and characterization was interestingly quirky or just bad... and only time and continued reading would give me the answer.

In the end, as things continued to revolve around old, tired, and worn out plot points, I decided on the latter. I only finished reading because it was so short.

[Jessica Knauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to win a copy of Andrew Biss's The Impressionists, a collection of vignettes, all told in the first person, of normal people with sometimes extraordinary challenges. I recognized a fun authorial voice, so when The Impressionists left me wanting more, I went ahead and invested in The End of the World.

Intentionally absurd from the first word, The End of the World tells the story of what happens to a truly unremarkable man between his drollery-filled, circumscribed life with his parents and his next incarnation. The narrator isn't quite self-aware enough to know that the result of a barely registered mugging is his own death. Suddenly, a sort of halfway house hotel called The End of the World becomes visible amidst the grimy cityscape, and he walks right in.

The characters he meets at this hostel for souls in limbo or, to use the Tibetan term, Bardo, (most of whom emerge from kitchen appliances or have body parts missing) all impart a point of view of their universal situation that the narrator had never considered before, which is all the more interesting because in the end, it is revealed that they're mere figments of his imagination. In this eerily detailed place, the narrator learns to accept and maybe even enjoy the lack of control. Philosophical arguments are hidden in strangely beautiful nuggets that the reader will enjoy swallowing and perhaps even wish, again, that there was a bit more to the story.

I didn't even realize The End of the World was pushing a message until the very last line, which felt so deliciously appropriate that I couldn't help loving the whole short, lopsided, cheeky book.

[Alan Moreton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready for a zany roller-coaster ride that becomes more bizarre the further you get into this surreal story. Told with great verve and spiced through with wit, this hugely entertaining story will grab you, hold you and won’t leave you until the ride is over. Even then, the story will stick in the memory.

Andrew Biss says of one of his characters: “Hank, it appeared was either a brilliant, wildly imaginative entrepreneurial dynamo, or just stark raving mad.” This could, with equal justice be said of the author and after reading The End of the World I can but conclude that Andrew Biss is brilliant rather than mad.

He continues: “This concept of his, though certainly outlandish and bizarre-sounding on first hearing, still seemed to possess its own peculiar logic.” And so does The End of the World. This book can truly be described as novel which means new, strange, unusual, different, fresh, innovative, original, rare, singular, uncommon, unfamiliar, surprising and unique.
If you haven’t yet discovered the wit and wonder of this international playwright and author then prepare yourself for a rare treat.

And if you don’t find this unusual and imaginative writer exhilarating then you must be dead from the neck up!

[Dani N · Rating 5 out of 5]

The End of the World..the beginning of something wonderful!


I found myself delightfully surprised with this brief, yet endearing novella. Consisting of less than 100 pages, I originally rented the story on my Kindle looking for a quick, fun read.

What I received was more than I ever hoped for. The End of the World, was charming, engrossing, and ended in such an unexpected manner! It was like being on a short, but very exciting roller coaster ride.

This is the first story I have ever read by Andrew Biss. I can honestly say, it will not be the last. What a gem! Thank you Kindle for constantly exposing me to authors I may have otherwise missed!

I am not going to attempt to summarize the plot or rely on brief character descriptions in this review. I feel this novella is something best enjoyed without too much revealed. Mr. Biss' style of writing is witty and commands attention. I thoroughly enjoyed every word in this novella. Combine the clever play of words with outrageous characters and you have something that not only works, but works amazingly. I cannot begin to express how strongly I recommend The End of the World!

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a strange little book. It really doesn't have a plot....at least that I could see. It's the story of Valentine, who is kicked out of his parents' house, because his mother is pregnant and the house is too small for all of them. He's been sheltered his whole life, and he is mugged within blocks of leaving his house. He finds a room at a strange little rooming house run by Mrs. Anna, and called The End of the World.

There are plenty of strange characters, and strange situations (the guy from the fridge who wants to implant TV screens on boring people's foreheads), and, of course, Valentine himself. But...what is the point of this story? I...couldn't even begin to tell you. I suppose it's about death and the afterlife, but you don't really find out that Valentine is dead until over 1/2 way through the story--sure, you might begin to suspect that, but you're never sure, as he has to pay for his room at the Inn (would you do this if you were dead?), and he fully expects the English breakfast Mrs. Anna described in so much detail (again, if you're dead...why the detail?).

If I could have figured out the plot, I would have given this novella more stars...but I'm *still* scratching my head as to what this story was about.

[Mark Wilkerson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel (it feels too ambitious to be classified as a novella, so I am calling it an underdeveloped novel) starts off encouragingly enough, with a witty exchange between refreshingly snappy Valentine and his enthusiastically out-of-touch mother, who tells him that, as she is pregnant, Valentine, home-schooled and unfamiliar with the world at large (in practice more than in experience), he must leave to face said world.

This exchange between the two characters proves to be the climax and the most interesting part of the story. This novel contains a series of half-imagined characters, who generate and disappear as if out of mid-air, and have no real contribution to the plot at all. The set-up of the story, which I shall not reveal here, is refreshing enough, yet there is a sense that the premise is wasted, as Valentine meanders from one conversation to the next. And Biss himself seems to possess the gift of gab in the conversations between the characters, it seems that he needs to develop the story and give the characters more to do than just stand around exchanging barbs between each other, and I for one, hope that he can somehow make this step!

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might be the strangest book I ever read - which is not a criticism. This is definitely not for everyone - I'd lump it in with something like Waiting for Godot or even the Importance of Being Importance: absurd, existential, highly-stylized, with characters and mayhem but no actual plot/story. It's a snapshot of a character at a moment in time. The foreward says this is based on the author's play and I can absolutely see that - it feels like a one-act play (again, not a criticism - I happen to love both Waiting for Godot and the Importance of Being Ernest).

The characters are wonderful - unique, strange, and real. I loved Mrs. Anna in particular with her belligerence and constant stream of complaints. This is a quick, fun read for those that like odd, "thinky" kinds of books. My one criticism is that the story did not flow as well as it could have due to the overuse of redundant dialog tags. The author would tell us who was speaking and then add a dialog tag. This was confusing at first (the dialog tag seemed to suggest a change in speaker, when, in fact, there was not) and then was really clunky and annoying by the end. Otherwise, however, a fun, quirky book.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a little bit of a weird book in that it doesn’t really seem to go anywhere and lacks an overall ending. It takes almost half of the book for the point of the story to be revealed. Up until this point little makes sense and it seems to be a lot of rambling. Characters pop up for one chapter, disappear and are then never heard of again.

The idea of the story was that everyone in The House at the End of the World was dead and needed help coming to terms with it. The main character Valentine is kicked out of home after his mother becomes pregnant. He has never been outside before and is subsequently mugged and killed at gunpoint. Soon after his mother is killed after being knocked down by a bus and comes to help him come to terms with his death. The story ends quickly with no real conclusion and I felt let down by what I had read. It was a quick but wasted time reading a book.

[Mirrani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an oddball, quirky kind of book about the serious topics of change, death, and letting things go. To be honest there were times when I sat looking at a line or phrase and wondered to myself if it was meant to be funny or if it was accidentally funny. There were also times when I found myself questioning the age and mental abilities of the main character. He comes across as a young child, but certainly his parents wouldn't be throwing out anyone who wasn't old enough to take care of themselves?

For the most part, this is the kind of unique look on things that I really enjoy, so the story was just perfect for me. Unfortunately, it's not the kind of story that will appeal to anyone. You really are going to have to come in to the book with an open mind and a willingness to accept Alice in Wonderland type events in order to thoroughly enjoy it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertainging short story about a young man thrust into the world by his parents only to end of getting mugged. He runs away from the criminal and ends up at a Bed and Breakfast named The End of the World and inside finds the most bizarre residents. Oddly enough his mother shows up and that is when he is told that he did not survive the mugging and that where he landed is a sort of purgatory until he can sort out her thoughts and then move on to where ever he is to go next. This story is very well written and laugh out loud funny and was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon on the sun.

[Beryl Cost · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I kind of hope that the afterlife is as the author describes it. I like to believe in reincarnation. I think he's correct in that we tell ourselves we believe in a higher power because it's too frightening and sad to think that when we die we just stop and there is nothing more. I know that's how it is for me.

I read the short story "An Honest Mistake" which was free for kindle and loved it. The author sort of reminds me of Neil Gaiman a little. I will definitely be reading more from tho author!

[Sharon Greenwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Downloaded this free on ‘Amazon’ in June 2012. This is an amusing Novella. No real plot, but a crazy ride where you meet some weird and wonderful characters. I rated 4 stars as it kept me amused, has some good quotes and sayings, and gives you a unique look into someone else’s mind. Would like to have read more and will be looking for other short works by the author. Check out my blog (sharonsbookreviews.wordpress.com) for a full review (coming soon). If you want something quick and easy to read, and that is a little bit wacky then this is for you.

[Kitty Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

ANDREW BISS' "THE END OF THE WORLD" (REVIEW)

Adapted from an original screenplay, this book is basically about life. Birth, death and what one young man sees as the 'end of the world.' The story largely takes place at a bed and breakfast by the same name. This novel has many interesting and colorful characters and is very well-written. I look forward to reading more from Andrew Biss.

-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fresh and enjoyable novella. I read the book via a promotion, so all it cost me was the time, and it was well worth it. Biss has a unique view of his world, an avid imagination, and a gift of word. I look forward to reading more. 'The End of the World' is definitely for a niche reader - a bit of philosophy, a bit of sarcasm, and lots of strangeness sprinkled throughout. If that's you too, you'll love the book.

[Robert Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure I really got this book. It seems to be a commentary on the excesses in western society in today's world. The main character gets another chance (through reincarnation) to do more with his life. I did like the expression of the idea that contentment is more valuable than significance and popularity.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a story about a young man who led a rather sheltered life and is suddenly out on his own in the world. His life takes a sudden turn when he is mugged at gunpoint and takes refuge in an strange little inn. Between this unusual inn and it's quirky inhabitants, things seem to get stranger by the minute. A short story and a fun read.

[John Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The End of the World is not so much a plot driven novella as it is a study in quirky and oddball characters. I gave it four stars as it does this quite well. From the protagonists vain and fickle parents, to the stodgy Mrs Anna, every character was lovingly breathed into life by the author. Definitely recommended for those interested in characterization.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The End of the World by Andrew Biss

Ok, so this is one of those quick, oddball reads that totally kept my attention.
This is a "keep your mind open" kind of a book. It is definitely out there & I LOVED it!
I love the messages in it.
It kept my interest.
It is enlightening!
It made me think about life.
It just made me happy!

[Cindy Brill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! After reading the book I just kept going back to the fact that no secret is too big for LOVE. In my opinion the author did a great job of getting the point across without going into gory details.

I love that you get to hear the story from both sides, Shaye and Cameron are wonderful complex characters.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read and leaves you with the thought that not all is what it seems. Valentine has to fend for himself and things strange and weird start to happen. I don't want to say too much, but I like the book for the weird and funny and some times the philosophical reading.

[Khrystine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is kind of a bizarre little novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's kind of hard to tell what's going on (though I had my suspicions), but it is not unpleasant. It's a fun quick read, and very well written.