From the Bookshelf of Closter Public Library…

[close] Despite not really being able to connect with the main characters (an astronaut on the international space station, a 40 ish tattoo artist, a teenager, and a bi-polar woman) I enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book. It centers on May 28, a day celebrated throughout the world as "Last Day", ie: the world will literally end. Despite the world going on, this day has been a holiday throughout different cultures for thousands of years, and Ruta does a nice job of exploring how different parts of the world observe it. (Many do irresponsible things, and Americans usually have a big bonfire, everyone burning something symbolic). The book bounces between characters, and while at first they seem random, their interconnectedness surfaces in interesting degrees. However, I had major issues with the ending, both the actual story, and how the story is written, that really reduced my enjoyment of the book.