2.75 stars
While I appreciate the craftsmanship, I can't say I enjoy the experience, Be Here to Love Me at the End of the World is a complete, unapologetic artistic expression, an absurdist, stream of consciousness fantasy about a couple as their city is on the brim of a nuclear attack. The writing fully captures the quiet mundane of 2 individuals comfortably in love (every time a character cooks, the story would go on a lengthy tangent describing the recipe, the ingredient, and the flavor—so convincingly I would salivate), and the bleakest humor (like a fallout shelter converted into a rent control apartment, in addition to topics ranging from police brutality, corruption, to climate change). In term of execution, this novel 100% delivers.
The issue lies with me as the reader; this is simply not the type of storytelling I resonate with. I can appreciate the nonlinear, scatterbrain progression much more, has it been a 100-page novella. At almost 300 pages, my attention drifts very quickly without a concrete plot or relatable characters to latch on to. I can totally see this being right up someone else's alley: extremely literary, and one can really dig deep decoding its wordsmith, symbolism, historical reference, and tonal juxtaposition.
I'm well aware I'm pretty basic when it comes to reading for entertainment, give me a gripping story with some stylistic flourishes and I'm sold. Be Here to Love Me at the End of the World is a little too highbrow and intellectual for me—I 'get' it to enjoy it in small dosage, but as a novel it feels too much like I'm being challenged to see if I'm smart enough for it.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**