What do you think?
Rate this book
Terminal Sunday
The last day on earth, same as any other.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
Nook
First published September 1, 2010
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 11, 2010
"…So when the last and dreadful hour
This crumbling pageant shall devour,
The trumpet shall be heard on high,
The dead shall live, the living die,
And Music shall untune the sky"
— John Dryden (The Major Works)
if you were to spend your last day on earth, how would you go about it?
Harper Hull's apocalyptic short story Terminal Sunday is a glimpse into a couple's last hours together.
the characters are unnamed and are referred to only as "I" and "you." the true nature of their relationship - whether married or not, how long they have been together and how old they are are left to the reader to surmise.
while the world outside erupts in chaos, the couple go through their domestic life seemingly unperturbed. madness and desperation mark the world beyond the couple's home. from within, there is simply order.
this play of contrasts is woven throughout the story. i find this technique effective in bringing out in the reader varied emotions as well. i have read this story more than a couple of times and i could not help being emotional each time. at a turn of phrase, a mention of a word or in the description of a scene, i often find something new to mull over. i think about the lives of the people i care about and of those i do not know. i question myself if i have been a good person or have tried to be a better one.i reflect on the abundance of nature and its gifts and how we use or abuse them. i ponder at the ways we have treated one another and at what we have achieved in making this world a better place. and yes, i wonder what would it be like for each of us should the world designate tomorrow as its demise.
this well-written story has certainly moved me in so many ways. it is chilling in its realism, frightening in its possibility yet profound in its underlying message.
This crumbling pageant shall devour,
The trumpet shall be heard on high,
The dead shall live, the living die,
And Music shall untune the sky"
— John Dryden (The Major Works)
if you were to spend your last day on earth, how would you go about it?
Harper Hull's apocalyptic short story Terminal Sunday is a glimpse into a couple's last hours together.
the characters are unnamed and are referred to only as "I" and "you." the true nature of their relationship - whether married or not, how long they have been together and how old they are are left to the reader to surmise.
while the world outside erupts in chaos, the couple go through their domestic life seemingly unperturbed. madness and desperation mark the world beyond the couple's home. from within, there is simply order.
this play of contrasts is woven throughout the story. i find this technique effective in bringing out in the reader varied emotions as well. i have read this story more than a couple of times and i could not help being emotional each time. at a turn of phrase, a mention of a word or in the description of a scene, i often find something new to mull over. i think about the lives of the people i care about and of those i do not know. i question myself if i have been a good person or have tried to be a better one.i reflect on the abundance of nature and its gifts and how we use or abuse them. i ponder at the ways we have treated one another and at what we have achieved in making this world a better place. and yes, i wonder what would it be like for each of us should the world designate tomorrow as its demise.
this well-written story has certainly moved me in so many ways. it is chilling in its realism, frightening in its possibility yet profound in its underlying message.
April 26, 2012
Ponder I have done! This story could have been written of my life right down to the meals and sex just not the smoking, we both quit. We were so in tune with each other and in love that we did not need the outside world. But like the bomb our small world blew up the day he died.
Is this a bad thing or is it not just the essence of love? I have read this more than once and it leads me in so many ways. Here is another new author to add to my list. A very good book.
4/26/12
Is this a bad thing or is it not just the essence of love? I have read this more than once and it leads me in so many ways. Here is another new author to add to my list. A very good book.
4/26/12
September 20, 2014
Short but beautifully written. Leaves enough to the imagination that just about any couple can fit themselves into the story. Actually it's not much of a story, more of a picture or scene from the end of the world. I believe it's purpose is to make you think and imagine what your last day would be like which in my case it did perfectly.
December 20, 2013
A very short story, but really good! Will need to find more by this author.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews