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At the Edge of the Universe

Shaun David Hutchinson (Goodreads Author)

4.15 · Rating details · 4,729 ratings · 887 reviews

Tommy and Ozzie have been best friends since second grade, and boyfriends since eighth. They spent countless days dreaming of escaping their small town—and then Tommy vanished.

More accurately, he ceased to exist, erased from the minds and memories of everyone who knew him. Everyone except Ozzie.

Ozzie doesn’t know how to navigate life without Tommy, and soon suspects that s ...more

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Kindle Edition, 304 pages

Published February 7th 2017 by Simon Pulse

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May 15, 2017 Larry H rated it it was amazing

Did you ever get the feeling you and an author would be great friends (or perhaps mortal enemies), simply based on the books they write and the way they tell stories? Even if that's irrational as thinking you'd be great friends with a television character, I still believe that from time to time.

Near the top of my list would be Shaun David Hutchinson, who absolutely slayed me with We Are the Ants (see my original review), which was in the top five of the best books I read last year. Now he's Did you ever get the feeling you and an author would be great friends (or perhaps mortal enemies), simply based on the books they write and the way they tell stories? Even if that's irrational as thinking you'd be great friends with a television character, I still believe that from time to time.

Near the top of my list would be Shaun David Hutchinson, who absolutely slayed me with We Are the Ants (see my original review), which was in the top five of the best books I read last year. Now he's back with At the Edge of the Universe , which I loved nearly as much, and it just convinced me I'd love to spend time just talking to Hutchinson and understanding how he thinks. At the very least, I'd love to be friends with one of his characters.

Ozzie and Tommy have been best friends since childhood, and they've been boyfriends since the eighth grade. Tommy is so much of Ozzie's world, the two have weathered so much, particularly Tommy's abusive father, and they dream of one day escaping their Florida hometown. And then one day, Tommy disappears, without any warning. But worse that that, Tommy has ceased to exist—no one but Ozzie remembers Tommy, and all of the memories that the two shared, or shared with others, have been amended or totally rewritten.

"It's impossible to let go of the people we love. Pieces of them remain embedded inside of us like shrapnel. Every breath causes these fragments to burrow through our muscles, nearer to our hearts. And we think the pain will kill us, but it won't. Eventually, scar tissue forms around those twisted splinters like cocoons. They remain part of us, but slowly hurt less. At least, I hoped they would."

As Ozzie desperately tries to figure out what happened to Tommy, and convince those around him—including Tommy's mother—that he actually existed, Ozzie begins to realize that the universe is shrinking, and perhaps Tommy was taken away into some alternate universe. But that's not the only crisis Ozzie has to face—his parents are getting divorced, his older brother has joined the military and is about to head to basic training, and one of his best friends, Lua, is becoming distant as her dreams of musical success start coming to fruition.

Then Ozzie is paired with Calvin on a physics class project. Calvin was once a star wrestler, class president, and all-around popular guy, until the day he quit wrestling and student council, came into school every day wearing the same hoodie and jeans, and mostly sleeps through class. Obviously there's something that made Calvin change so abruptly, and Ozzie wants to get to the bottom of it, but at the same time, he really can only focus on finding Tommy. But as he gets to know Calvin, he can't deny that he might be falling for him, but he doesn't know what to do—is it unfair to Tommy for Ozzie to pursue another relationship, or should he try and move on? And what if Tommy really doesn't exist?

As the universe continues to shrink, and Ozzie's life continues to change, he knows he has a finite amount of time to find Tommy. But he also realizes there are so many more people in his life with problems. Should he help solve those, even if it might betray their trust, or should he not lose site of his goal? And will there be a universe left when he decides?

Even though it's a little confusing when the plot goes all science-y, this is a beautiful book that hits you right in your heart. Once again, Hutchinson combines sci-fi and emotion to create a tremendously compelling, moving story about friendship, love, loyalty, trust, family, secrets, and selfishness. There is so much here to like, even if the characters aren't always 100 percent sympathetic, but it is Hutchinson's storytelling, his use of language and dialogue, that kicks this book up another notch. His characters may be wiser than their years, but they don't sound as if they just walked out of a John Green novel, where every sentence is a sarcastic burn or a philosophical insight.

Hutchinson is open that as a teenager he struggled with depression and contemplated suicide, so he has a tremendous amount of empathy for his characters and their problems. I do wish he had dwelled a little less on the physics, but it didn't keep me from loving this book and these characters. Like We Are the Ants , it will be a long while before I'll be able to get this story out of my mind. Is it 100 percent plausible? No. Does it matter? Not to me, given how tightly it grabbed my heart.

See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo.... ...more

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Jun 21, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

okay. lets get right to the point. this book was depressing. like, borderline adam silvera levels of sadness. but real life can sometimes be pretty woeful, so if there is anything this book was, it was real. the characters, the emotions, the struggles. they were so realistic, so relatable.

i was also impressed with how well this book covered some very sensitive subjects and content. it was a bit much at times, but i think that just lends to the storys authenticity and realistic nature.

the only ...more

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Feb 02, 2017 ✨ jamieson ✨ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-reads, young-adult, contemporary, science-fiction, lgbtqiap, romance

“I didn’t even need to check my phone to know that the universe had shrunk again, and the stars had vanished.
No. They hadn’t vanished. I’d given them away to someone who hadn’t deserved them, and I’d never get them back.”

trigger warnings in this book for: rape, statutory rape, racism, child abuse, graphic violence, self-harm, drugs, homophobia, ableism

I don't think its any secret I was a massive fan of Shaun David Hutchinson's 2016 release, We Are the Ants, so his newest release was high on ...more

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May 28, 2018 Kai rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: queer, owned

"We have to fall in love with the idea of a person before we can fall in love with the actual person."

Shaun's books have a safe place in my bookish heart. I love his characters, his stories, his style of writing. His books are unlike any other book I've read before and this one was no exception. The universe is shrinking and Ozzy's boyfriend Tommy has but nobody remembers that he existed. Only Ozzy does but, of course, no one believes him.

There are so many things that Shaun gets right. He is in "We have to fall in love with the idea of a person before we can fall in love with the actual person."

Shaun's books have a safe place in my bookish heart. I love his characters, his stories, his style of writing. His books are unlike any other book I've read before and this one was no exception. The universe is shrinking and Ozzy's boyfriend Tommy has but nobody remembers that he existed. Only Ozzy does but, of course, no one believes him.

There are so many things that Shaun gets right. He is in touch with the young adult book community, he is aware of what occupies our minds and hearts, he listens. Which is why we get diversity and representation in the form of gay, genderfluid, bi- and asexual characters - or characters that don't know how or if to define themselves. But what might be even more important is that these characters have depth; they are relatable and not simply mere caricatures of what they represent. This is why OwnVoices authors are so important.

What is even better, Shaun uses his books to talk about things that matter. He openly discusses depression, self-harm and how important it is to talk when one is hurting. He shows that love is not always easy and fluffy and relationships grow and change and always take two people who care enough to work on this relationship together. He does not shy away from topics like rape, abuse and poverty. I think it's brave that Shaun puts these stories out there and lends his ear and shoulder to so many kids, teens and adults. He makes them feel understood and seen and I think that is what every young adult author should set out to do.
I know that I'm seriously gushing about the author at this point but there is one more thing that I have to point out: this book features sex. It's explicit. That alone is still super rare in the YA genre. But here we have two gay teenagers who sleep with each other and it's not shown as something abnormal, it's not a taboo topic, it's what happens what two people have the hots for one another. I wish we could see more sex and more non-straight sex in young adult literature. Not because I read books for their erotic content, but because sex is how we all got here in the first place.

Now the only thing I can criticise is related to the plot, so be aware of major spoilers. I shipped Ozzy and Calvin. I think I even fell for Calvin a little. So seeing his and Ozzy's relationship erased at the end of the book hurt. I understand that the story would not have worked otherwise, but I still rooted for them.

Find more of my books on Instagram ...more

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Feb 19, 2016 Cassandra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reads-of-2017

So instead of aliens trying to blow up the human homeland, the universe is now shrinking?

With most authors I'd be skeptical, but after We Are the Ants, Shaun David Hutchinson could write about rockette monkeys performing Chicago on Mars and I'd read it.

*After Actually Reading the Book*

“Don’t get so focused on where you’re going that you forget the people yo’re travelling with. There’s no point reaching a destination if you arrive alone.”

After the god send known as We Are the Ants, I was so So instead of aliens trying to blow up the human homeland, the universe is now shrinking?

With most authors I'd be skeptical, but after We Are the Ants, Shaun David Hutchinson could write about rockette monkeys performing Chicago on Mars and I'd read it.

*After Actually Reading the Book*

“Don’t get so focused on where you’re going that you forget the people yo’re travelling with. There’s no point reaching a destination if you arrive alone.”

After the god send known as We Are the Ants, I was so excited for this book that I pre-ordered it four months in advance. Yep. I’m a slave to the writing of Shaun David Hutchinson.

This book was even better than I hoped it would be. Plus, it had ties to both We Are the Ants and The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley (embed links). Diego and Henry (mainly Diego though) make an appearance, the Patient F movies are mentioned, and the main character of this novel, Ozzie, works at a book store and had to inform a customer that they don’t have a YA novel about ants and aliens. How both We Are the Ants is a book in this universe and Diego and Henry are spotted is beyond me, but I’m totally for it regardless. The more Diego the better, right?

Ozzie is fantastic. He has a similar sense of humor as Henry, but Ozzie is completely his own man. When his boyfriend is suddenly erased from existence, Ozzie is willing to do anything to find him and bring him back. Even when his obsession begins to take its toll on his personal life. Then enter Calvin, his fellow student, who seems to have problems even deeper and more profound than Ozzie’s own.

I’ll never not love these books. There’s something so unique and beautiful about them. Their oddball science fiction plotlines that somehow mix perfectly with extremely contemporary issues. Their broken and yet perfect boys. The sarcastic writing style that can’t be duplicated. I’ll recommend and love these books until my death bed. I swear on it.

“You can choose to be happy with what life gives you,” he said, “or spend your life miserable. I choose happiness. It’s really that simple.” ...more

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May 18, 2017 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing

The universe is shrinking....
which is a central theme in this story, but the science fiction never dominates the deeper issues and personal growth.
Shaun David Hutchinson is brilliant at the way he maneuvers huge life situations while keeping a causal perspective quality in his writing at the same time.

Wonderful characters. Ozzie and Tommy are gay...but it's never their gayness that stands out. Again... I can't say enough about Shaun David Hutchinson. His focus is on
Ozzie's and Tommy's feelin ...more

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May 28, 2017 may ➹ added it

Shelves: contemporary, rep-depression, ebook, rep-lgbtqiap, pov-male, rep-lgbtqiap-bi, read-2018, my-heart, pov-1st, important-messages

it was good and it was gay and that should be enough to get you to read it

also can Shaun David Hutchinson STOP. DAMAGING. ME.

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Dec 03, 2019 Elle (ellexamines) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: z-2019reads, 3-star, sff-specfic, y-2017releases

This is a book about being human when the world around you is ending.

There is a lot I really liked about this book. Hutchinson is consistently good at making you feel the emotions of a piece, get caught up in the story: I was stressed and desperate to finish. I loved the strong prevalance of side characters. I think side character conflicts are an excellent addition to any book and are often sadly neglected. He’s also very good at dangling a mystery but giving it enough of a solid ending to be s ...more

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Feb 07, 2020 Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020, anticipated-of-2017, lgbtqia, science-fiction, my-books

God, I love Shaun's work. Ozzie is a brilliant main character, and this is yet another book that balances the small relationships and the end of the universe perfectly.

TW: self harm, suicide, sexual assault of a minor/pedophilia, depression, homophobic slurs ...more

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Jun 21, 2017 Nazanin rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2017, sci-fi, m-m

2 Stars

"It’s impossible to let go of the people we love. Pieces of them remain embedded inside of us like shrapnel. Every breath causes those fragments to burrow through our muscles, nearer to our hearts. And we think the pain will kill us, but it won’t. eventually scar tissue forms around those twisted splinters like cocoons. They remain part of us, bus slowly hurt less. At least, I hoped they would."

Ozzie’s boyfriend, Tommy disappeared two months ago. No one looking for him, not the police and 2 Stars

"It’s impossible to let go of the people we love. Pieces of them remain embedded inside of us like shrapnel. Every breath causes those fragments to burrow through our muscles, nearer to our hearts. And we think the pain will kill us, but it won’t. eventually scar tissue forms around those twisted splinters like cocoons. They remain part of us, bus slowly hurt less. At least, I hoped they would."

Ozzie’s boyfriend, Tommy disappeared two months ago. No one looking for him, not the police and not even his parents. Ozzie is the only one who’s looking for him.

"I met Tommy in second grade. He kissed me in eighth. He was my boyfriend and best friend. July third, he was existed; July fourth he didn’t. not even his parents remember him."

So to find Tommy, Ozzie is going to go to Seattle but when he was in the plane, the deputy takes him off the plane and then Ozzie watched his plane tumble from the sky and crash into boulevard. And when every one was shocked, he just laughed and laughed and… So yes the next scene was him with a therapist.

Ozzie has a theory about "false vacuum" and he relates the plane incident and Tommy’s disappearance and shrinking the universe to this theory. If you’re wondering what’s this false vacuum theory you should read the story. So is the universe really shrinking? Is Ozzie’s theory correct? Most importantly, where is Tommy? If he’s real why does no one know anything about him?

Well, I’m not a huge fan of Si-Fi but it’s good to read some of these books once in awhile for changing of the plot. So I read this book’s synopsis and it really intrigued me! The story started off really good and I thought wow it’s interesting but I lost interest the deeper I went into the story. And based on the ratings and the reviews I think it’s just me. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for me. I didn’t enjoy it. I got bored and after the first half I skipped and skimmed a lot. Please remember, it was just my opinion so you can pay no attention to it and read it yourself. Hope you enjoy it! ...more

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Oct 07, 2018 Rana⚡ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

"Faith is believing in something even when every other soul in the world tells you you’re wrong. Even when all the evidence says you’re a fool. No matter what people say or how much they hurt you, faith means you keep believing"

Thats was straight up brilliant!! Are all his books this perfect???
As a person who loves making late night theories this book was the one for me. It reminded me of More than this so badly!! At first i was kinda comparing them to each other but i figured that ATEOU had it ...more

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Feb 05, 2018 Silvia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, pride-recs, borrowed, ya-contemporary, mental-illness, rep-gay, 1st-person

This was my first book by SDH and I've been so hyped about his work that this could have easily gone the "it didn't live up to my expectations" way. But! It didn't! I have no idea what I expected from this in terms of plot and characters but I can say that it was definitely worth the hype (I say hype but how come only around 1800 people have rated this on goodreads?? How???)

Anyway, I don't have a copy of this anymore because I read it on Riveted, so this is a short review with no quotes or anyth This was my first book by SDH and I've been so hyped about his work that this could have easily gone the "it didn't live up to my expectations" way. But! It didn't! I have no idea what I expected from this in terms of plot and characters but I can say that it was definitely worth the hype (I say hype but how come only around 1800 people have rated this on goodreads?? How???)

Anyway, I don't have a copy of this anymore because I read it on Riveted, so this is a short review with no quotes or anything, but you should definitely go read this book.

So, Ozzie is the only one who remembers his boyfriend Tommy. Everyone's history has been modified to reflect a world where Tommy was never born, But Ozzie knows he hasn't just dreamed Tommy. Throughout the book we see some of the memories he shared with Tommy, but the main story takes place in the present, where Ozzie life moves on, more or less, without Tommy. His disappearance isn't the only weird thing that's happened. The universe is also shrinking, and again, only Ozzy seems to know.

I found the premise so intriguing that I was hooked on that alone from the start, but then as we learn more about Ozzie, his old friends Lua and Dustin and his new friend Calvin, I couldn't stop reading.

The book touches on many difficult and dark themes that are a reality for so many young adults, so keep that in mind and look at the trigger warnings at the of my review to know some of the themes that are in this book (but keep in mind I might have missed some).

The cast is also very diversewith Ozzie being gay, Tommy being a black gay boy, Lua being genderfluid, Calving being questioning/bi, and Dustin being coded as ace (the author confirmed he is, but the word is not on page because Dustin doesn't say it, so I guess he's questioning at the time of the book).

I really don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that reading this was great and especially the countdown of the size of the universe made it impossible to stop reading, as well as the question of why everything was happening.

I can only recommend everyone to read it and find out everything by yourself.

TWs: self harm, depression, sexual assault, abuse. ...more

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Oct 07, 2018 booksNpenguins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-na-contemporaries, magical-realism, book-heaven, paranormal-and-gothic

The scariest thing in life is the door that closes and can't ever be opened again.
Once I opened the door and stepped into the void, that door would slam shut behind me and I could never go back.
But maybe it's okay to be afraid.

I don't think I'll ever be able to properly put into coherent words how much Shaun David Hutchinson and his books mean to me. I loved We Are the Ants, but At the Edge of the Universe was a whole different story.
It's one of those books that make you question your enti ...more

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Feb 13, 2018 Benjamin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbttiqa

Full review posted!
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All my life, I have been living at the edge of the Universe. Unfortunately, it took 19 years and a book for me to realize.

“We've all got things about ourselves we hate and these dark places inside of us we're terrified to show people. We live in constant fear that someone is going to discover the rotting corpses we keep buried in those dark places, and that when they do, they'll despise us for them.”

At The Edge of the Universe follows the story of Ozzie, a boy who is liv ...more

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Feb 16, 2017 Maria rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017, on-my-shelf, 2017-new-releases

It definitely is no secret that At The Edge Of The Universe was probably my most anticipated book of the year. After reading We Are The Ants last year and completely falling in love with it, I was ready to read absolutely everything ever written by Shaun David Hutchinson.

--

What I Liked

The writing. Shaun David Hutchinson just has this way of completely pulling you in with his writing. There’s just something so beautiful and magical about it. For those of you who know me, you know that my attentio ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Camille ☼ rated it really liked it

“Don't get so focused on where you're going that you forget the people you're travelling with. There's no point reaching a destination if you arrive alone.”

4.5. I don’t even know what to say this book was incredibly painful and beautiful and why has not more people read this already. This is amazing. Shaun David Hutchinson is amazing.

I loved the main character Ozzie and I loved seeing the story develop around him, seeing him grew up and master his anxiety and his fears. He’s a deeply unperfect ...more

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Feb 07, 2018 Jackie rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-heart-hurts

JUST POSTED MY FULL REVIEW (this is a first omg y'all better appreciate my efforts)

this was my first book by shaun david hutchinson and holy shit, i wasn‘t ready.

i found myself being able to relate to the characters a lot (especially calvin) and reading this book was a very heavy and emotional experience for me because it dealt with things that i went/go through as well.

content warnings for depression, self-harm, drugs, rape, domestic violence and child abuse.

i never expected to like or relate t ...more

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Feb 19, 2017 Peter Monn rated it it was amazing

I don't know if I loved this or We Are the Ants more. Absolutely incredible. Weird and romantic. Literally bawled the last 20 pages. Check out my full review on my booktube channel at http://youtube.com/peterlikesbooks ...more

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Apr 12, 2017 Kenchiin rated it it was amazing

"You claim that the world used to be much bigger than it is, but did you explore it? Did you take advantage of it? How is your life all that different now than it was before?"

...more

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May 22, 2018 Josiah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Released a year after We Are the Ants, which came out in 2016, At the Edge of the Universe reinforces some of the recurring style and themes of Shaun David Hutchinson's YA literature. Repressed trauma, same-sex romance, unusually intelligent and articulate characters, and speculative science fiction are concepts the author loves to engage with, and he doubles down on that in this novel. Seventeen-year-old Ozzie Pinkerton is a high school senior in his small hometown of Cloud Lake, Florida. The l ...more

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Feb 04, 2018 moon of pages rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3,75/5 stars

I started reading this book without any expectations and I didn't really think I would like it much. But this book really surprised me and I liked it way more than I thought I would.

This book handles some hard topics in a very good way and I think it was very beautifully written. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of this book also.

Ozzie, the main character, was very selfish and that kind of bugged me sometimes, but I also think he was very funny at times. I really liked L ...more

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Jan 20, 2017 ti ✧ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favourites, owned-books, 2017-loves, favourite-stand-alones, favourite-books, lgbt

this will be a very rambling review because i can't think clearly when i think about this book.

last year in january i read We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson and i thought it was one of the most amazing books i ever read. when i heard he was publishing another kind of sci-fi realistic novel i was screaming with joy.

i have to say i was very surprised to find myself loving this even more than his other perfect novels.

first of all, i love the idea of the book: the universe is shrinking and p ...more

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May 20, 2016 Eliza Rapsodia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Todo el mundo / Everyone

Recommended to Eliza by: Nadie

Shelves: young-adult, on-my-shelf, magical-realism, contemporary

REVIEW IN ENGLISH

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I highly recommend Shaun David Hutchinson to any living reader form. This is my third novel of his that I have read and I can say I will NEVER get off of this train. I love his books so much and this was not the exception.

Oswald Pinkerton, Ozzie for friends, is a young boy who is in his last year of school and works part time in a bookstore (I want that job, damn). His life in the small town of Cloud Lake could not be more boring, on REVIEW IN ENGLISH

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I highly recommend Shaun David Hutchinson to any living reader form. This is my third novel of his that I have read and I can say I will NEVER get off of this train. I love his books so much and this was not the exception.

Oswald Pinkerton, Ozzie for friends, is a young boy who is in his last year of school and works part time in a bookstore (I want that job, damn). His life in the small town of Cloud Lake could not be more boring, only his best friends Lua and Dustin and his boyfriend and friend since childhood Tommy are what matters. But things go wrong one day. Tommy suddenly dissapears. The strangest thing is that Ozzie seems to be the only one who remembers him, nobody else. He has this feeling that the universe is contracting and that's why Tommy's mother does not even remember her own son. Ozzy is ready to find him before the universe swallow them whole.

After reading We are the ants, the premise of this book may sound similar: a supernatural circumstance about something strange that is happening and the main character knows about this and must find a way to solve it. It's a science fiction premise that Shaun knows how to execute well, but it's not just about that. The story is also about love, destiny and self-discovery mixed up with a whole buch of situations and issues that are more common than they seem: divorce, financial crisis, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, poverty and the question of sexual and gender identity.

Ozzie is the protagonist and narrator. Through him we meet all the characters: Lua, a fluid gender girl-guy who is very talented with music; Dustin, a young Asian asexual (confirmed by the author) who goes through a difficult situation at home and Calvin, a smart and athletic boy but is going through a problematic phase for some time and attracts Ozzie's attention. Each secondary character is fleshed out and well developed; even through flashbacks we get to know Tommy, Ozzie's boyfriend and why Ozzie loved him so much.

Shaun's writing is amazing, it makes the story real, close and it creates exciting, hard and also very beautiful moments. Ozzie's journey is not only to understand that he is not crazy, that he does not have to go to therapy because his parents force him but because talking about his problems can help him to express everything he feels and because he is going through a moment in his life in which you have to make decisions and he must learn to face them.

Despite its huge positive points, there are details that did not convince me that much. There were times when the story was slow and difficult to went through and the final resolution, although it is creative and imaginative, it made noise behind my ear. That's why I think that having a premise like that can go very bad or very well. In this case it's good, but with its little details.

This is a novel that involved me emotionally and made me empathize with the characters and their situation. It is a beautiful and hard story about moving forward, looking for your future and learning to make decisions. It is a real pity that this author has not been translated into Spanish and more people can read his books.

I have to remark the author's note at the end. He's encouraging people that, like him, have gone through depression and suicidal thoughts to go and seek help. That it's OK, and you don't have to face everything alone, that you can keep going.

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RESEÑA EN ESPAÑOL

En este blog se sabe que recomiendo con mucho entusiasmo todos los libros de este autor de Florida y esta es la tercera novela suya que he leído. Si quieren saber más en detalle lo que opino de sus otros dos libros pueden visitar mis reseñas aquí y aquí.

Oswald Pinkerton, Ozzie para los amigos, es un jovencito que está en su último año de colegio y trabaja medio tiempo en una librería. Su vida en el pequeño pueblo de Cloud Lake no podría ser más aburrida y simplona, solo lo arreglan sus mejores amigos Lua y Dustin y su novio y amigo desde la infancia llamado Tommy. Pero las cosas se ponen mal cuando un día, Tommy desaparece de repente. Lo más extraño es que Ozzie parece ser el único que lo recuerda, nadie más. El tiene el presentimiento que el universo se está contrayendo cada día y por eso ni la madre de Tommy recuerda a su hijo. Y por eso Ozzie está dispuesto a buscarlo.

Fotografía de Taryn Manning en Unsplash. Crédito aquí

Después de leer We are the ants, la premisa de este libro puede sonar parecida: una circunstancia sobrenatural sobre algo extraño que está sucediendo en el universo y el protagonista sabe de esto y debe buscar la forma de solucionarlo. Se trata de una pregunta de ciencia ficción que creo que Shaun sabe ejecutar bien, pero no se trata solo de eso. La historia es mucho más que la búsqueda de la persona amada y de uno mismo, sino todo un conjunto de situaciones y temas que son más comunes de lo que parecen: divorcio, crisis financiera, abuso sexual, maltrato intrafamiliar, pobreza y la cuestión del descubrimiento sexual y de género.

Ozzie es el protagonista y narrador de la historia. A través de él conoceremos a todos los personajes: su mejor amiga Lua, un chico género fluido que es muy talentosa con la música y puede llegar muy lejos; Dustin, un joven asiático que pasa por una situación difícil en su casa y Calvin, es un muchacho inteligente y atlético pero está pasando una fase problemática desde hace tiempo y atrae la atención de Ozzie . Podemos ver la situación familiar de cada uno porque en este libro los padres aparecen y hacen parte de la historia. Creo que cada personaje secundario está bien trabajado, incluso a través de flashbacks vamos conociendo a Tommy, el novio de Ozzie y como fue su relación.

La escritura de Shaun hace que la historia se torne cercana y amena y que tenga frases y momentos emocionantes, duros y también muy bellos. El viaje de Ozzie no es solo para entender que no está loco, que no va a terapia porque sus padres lo obliguen sino porque hablar de sus problemas puede ayudarle a expresar todo lo que siente y porque está atravesando un momento de su vida en el que hay que tomar decisiones y debe aprender a enfrentarlas.

A pesar de sus enormes puntos positivos, hay detalles que no me han convencido tanto. Hubo momentos en que la historia le costaba continuar y atravesaba baches narrativos y la resolución final del conflicto si bien es creativa e imaginativa, me hizo un poco de ruido detrás de la oreja. Por eso creo que contar con una premisa como las que usa el autor pueden salir muy mal o muy bien. En este caso ha salido bien, pero con sus detallitos.

Igualmente, ha sido una novela que me ha implicado emocionalmente y me ha hecho empatizar con los personajes y sus historias. Es una bellísima y dura historia sobre seguir adelante, buscar tu futuro y aprender a tomar decisiones. Es una verdadera pena que este autor no haya sido traducido al español y más personas puedan conocer sus libros. Y sobre todo la importantísima nota que el autor pone al final hablando y animando a otros como él que han pasado por situaciones de depresión y pensamientos suicidas que ESTÁ BIEN buscar ayuda y que los problemas no hay que enfrentarlos siempre solo. Que se puede seguir adelante. ...more

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Jul 24, 2018 Iulia rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2018, honorable-mentions

You know that feeling when you read a book that's so great you immediately set out on a quest to find another one like it? I read We Are the Ants by the same author and I absolutely loved it; it's actually one of my super-favorites . I picked up At the Edge of the Universe hoping that it would evoke in me a similar emotion, and I wasn't wrong; it absolutely delivered! Much like its predecessor, this is very much a character driven book, with beautifully constructed relationships and great c ...more

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Mar 02, 2017 Eloise rated it really liked it

Shelves: asexual-or-aro-spec, lgbt-queer-rep, trans-nb-genderqueer, the-importance-of-friendship, mental-health, ugly-cried

4.5/5 - I'll add Shaun David Hutchinson to my list of favourite authors, I guess.
He always seems to write such powerful stories:
You laugh. You cry. You have no idea what's going on or what's going to happen, but you stay tuned all the way because he has a way of writing such beautiful, realisticly flawed but understandable characters living in worlds that are so cleverly created.

And this is exactly what this book did. I laughed and I cried and I was confused but I loved it.
I loved the little mom 4.5/5 - I'll add Shaun David Hutchinson to my list of favourite authors, I guess.
He always seems to write such powerful stories:
You laugh. You cry. You have no idea what's going on or what's going to happen, but you stay tuned all the way because he has a way of writing such beautiful, realisticly flawed but understandable characters living in worlds that are so cleverly created.

And this is exactly what this book did. I laughed and I cried and I was confused but I loved it.
I loved the little moments about physics (yeah, I miss not learning about physics...) and even philosophy. As expected there were beautiful metaphors about struggling to find yourself, drowning or breathing under water, moving forward and closing doors...
There was a whole bunch of diverse characters (the queer youth represented in here is great - gender-fluid, gay, bi and even asexual - thank you!). And a whole bunch of important issues too. Mental health, hurting yourself, sexual abuse, domestic violence, financial trouble and more.

Sometimes I thought there were a little TOO many important issues in this one book - maybe some could have been saved for a different story?
It seemed like really shitty things had to happen to every single character, which I don't think was necessary.
Especially as Ozzie, the main character, was going through all the issues over and over in his head so many times, sometimes I just wanted to say 'Okay, we know by now that this this and this is going on, move onto things we don't know'...
But in the end you can't complain for having an array of different people with a wide-range of problems.

I also read the author's note at the end about his own struggles with mental health, depression, cutting and suicide attempts, he urges people to ask for help and how his books show people dealing with mental health in ways that aren't always the best. They are realistic, but you should learn that they are not always the best ways to deal with stuff.
It was very moving.

So basically, I really enjoyed it.
I'm going to compare it to We Are The Ants because that was one of my favourite books of 2016, the reason I picked this one up and had such high expectations. And to be honest it wasn't as good as WATA. But by no means was it bad.
It was great and well worth the read. ...more

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Oct 10, 2019 Anniek rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, mlm, 3-sff, 2-ya, audio, 1-2017-releases

When the universe really does revolve around you.

Rep: gay MC, genderfluid side character, gay biracial side character, questioning asexual Chinese side character

CWs: plane crash, fire/explosions, child abuse, rape, rape drugs, parental abuse, violence, self harm, racism, paranoia, divorce, transphobia, homophobia and homophobic slurs

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Feb 28, 2018 Kaje Harper rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, scifi, favorites, ya, lgbtq, m-m

4.5 stars - this was different. Ozzie is a gay teen, a high-school senior, who woke up one day to find that his boyhood best friend and now boyfriend Tommy was missing. Not only that, but all evidence of Tommy had been erased from the world - his own mother didn't remember having a son, his gifts to Ozzie had vanished, no one in school recalled his presence. Ozzie though, had a lifetime of memories of Tommy, and he's determined to hang onto them and to find Tommy and figure out what happened. He 4.5 stars - this was different. Ozzie is a gay teen, a high-school senior, who woke up one day to find that his boyhood best friend and now boyfriend Tommy was missing. Not only that, but all evidence of Tommy had been erased from the world - his own mother didn't remember having a son, his gifts to Ozzie had vanished, no one in school recalled his presence. Ozzie though, had a lifetime of memories of Tommy, and he's determined to hang onto them and to find Tommy and figure out what happened. He has a dozen theories, from parallel universes to alien activity. His parents and his shrinks all think it's in his head. His friends probably do too, even as they try to be supportive.

In many other ways, this senior year of school is becoming a mess. His best friend Lua, who is genderfluid, is having success with their band but not their personal life, and their friendship has been strained by the Tommy issue as well. Ozzie's parents are getting a divorce, his brother is joining the military, and he's assigned to do a physics project with a loner kid who seemed to self-destruct in the last year.

And Ozzie seems to be the only person to notice that the universe is shrinking. Every day when he Googles "the size of the universe" the estimate up on science sites is smaller. Yet, no one else is capable of remembering differently from one day to the next. And Ozzie has to try to live his ordinary life, worked in between the sharp splinters of loss and change and weirdness and impending disaster.

Calvin, his physics partner, turns out to be a smart, troubled gay boy with secrets of his own. And as they grow closer together, he's the only one who seems to really believe that Ozzie isn't just crazy, that Tommy might actually exist somewhere, and that something weird is going on. But Calvin has his own demons, and not much time or energy to deal with Ozzie's.

The story pulled me in and kept me fascinated. In its very improbability, it still had a lot to say about being human and growing up. The ending was satisfying, if not the one I wanted. This author's talent for on-the-edge-of-reality stories is well worth the reading time.

Content warning for (view spoiler) ...more

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Jul 12, 2018 Silke rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-physical-copies

4,5 stars

I’m so not okay right now 😣 This book totally messed me up but I LOVED IT. It’s a masterpiece. I was hooked from beginning to end, it was impossible to stop reading. Right now I feel so happy and sad at the same time, but most of all my heart is full and I’m so glad I decided to read this. It has actually helped me get some perspective on something I’m struggling with at this point in my life. I’m so amazed at how this author writes stories that are so relatable but also mysterious and ...more

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Oct 15, 2017 Anja V rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

4.5 stars

I don't even understand how Shaun David Hutchinson manages to put so much love and emotion in his books. Reading them is almost like intruding his mind, they feel so damn personal.

rtc ...more

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May 15, 2017 Jason rated it did not like it

Shelves: 00-lgbt, 0-2017-c-r-def

up a notch to 2 because the lower ranking of recent books in the same genre has altered my perspective on this one

Until At the Edge of the Universe I was still debating if Shaun David Hutchinson was my guy. With The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, I felt that the plot wasn't slammed down onto paper in a way that could max its potential. The idea of a kid in a hospital, with the staff unaware of a gent wandering around, seemed unrealistic, as did the way he connected with his environment and with up a notch to 2 because the lower ranking of recent books in the same genre has altered my perspective on this one

Until At the Edge of the Universe I was still debating if Shaun David Hutchinson was my guy. With The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, I felt that the plot wasn't slammed down onto paper in a way that could max its potential. The idea of a kid in a hospital, with the staff unaware of a gent wandering around, seemed unrealistic, as did the way he connected with his environment and with events. Developmentally it just didnt seem to add up.

I moved onto Ants with grand hopes. I thought that surely, his writing would mature. Yet, while he provided a theme that was unusual, at least for young adult books, it fizzled as the pages folded and at the end was a massive disappointment.

But I immediately picked up this novel. End of the world dystopia books have increased in numbers, from the sun vanishing, to comets heading for impact. Yet, the shrinking of the world, with references to Ants, and double that with a gay protagonist?!… boom.

Yet, it has virtually the same themes. We have this obsession with space and scientific theories, divorce, depression, and unnecessary, unresolved trauma. Single parents. lower SES. Oh, and let’s not forget sexual assault.

My problem with sexual assault in novels, particularly in Y/A, is that it is often taken on by authors as a way of creating internal chaos. It is a way to spin out changes in character behavior, such as anxiety and depression. And it’s easy, because sexual assault is almost always coupled with some shift in ‘normal’ behavior. It’s fucking lazy. J.H Trumble created one of the more successful portrayals of trauma and PTSD. This is Shaun’s second attempt with the theme of trauma, and it was an utter failure. There are wonderful resources out there that show the full capacity of the ways sexual assault and trauma typically crush a person, and I wish he’d make an attempt to understand these topics before he writes about them. Being blind of a topic’s intricacies is a travesty and a disservice to those challenged by them. Here’s the problem though, he isn’t, blind to them, as he speaks at the end about his own struggles with mental illness. So why then are they not submerged into his writing? Why doesn’t this story carry more substance, a deeper understanding, a rawness that other books fail to achieve?

While this, again, gave me a giant sigh, that wasn’t my biggest concern. Here's the central problem with the plot; the amount of absurdity. Going into this novel (view spoiler) ...more

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About Shaun David Hutchinson

Shaun David Hutchinson

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Shaun is a major geek and all about nerdy shenanigans. He is the author of many queer books for young adults. Find out more information at shaundavidhutchinson.com. He currently lives in Seattle and watches way too much Doctor Who.

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“It's impossible to let go of the people we love. Pieces of them remain embedded inside of us like shrapnel. Every breath causes those fragments to burrow through our muscles, nearer to our hearts. And we think the pain will kill us, but it won't. Eventually, scar tissue forms around those twisted splinters like cocoons. They remain part of us, but slowly hurt less.” — 33 likes

“Don't get so focused on where you're going that you forget the people you're travelling with. There's no point reaching a destination if you arrive alone.” — 24 likes

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