Review: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
I have a confession to make. The first time I picked up this book I hated it. In fact, after reading just two chapters, I put it down again and it was subject to some of the most scathing comments that I have made about any book in a very long time. (I'm not going to repeat those comments here.) My reasoning was this. I had picked up a relatively inexpensive copy of the book shortly after it was released. At the time, it had been recommended to me by several people and I had read a large number of positive comments on social media as well as some good reviews from trusted sources. Most readers/reviewers praised the book for its complex characters, depth and unusual plot.
As for me, well ... I was just not feeling the same level of excitement. Actually, annoyed and underwhelmed would probably be a better description. I felt that the characters were annoying stereotypes and the situation somewhat cliched and filled with populist views. With a heavy heart, I put the book down and it probably would have stayed on my to-read pile forever, had I had not suffered a serious injury and had to start reading the book on my to-read pile in the order in which they were actually piled (at the time it was too difficult to actually sift through the books and select the title that interested me the most, so I had to keep taking them from the top.) Anyway, long story short, I picked up my copy of We All Looked Up a second time and started to read. Finally, I understood what all of the fuss was about.
We All Looked Up is a book about four very different people who are on the cusp of adulthood who, after the news that an asteroid is headed toward earth, come to grips with the fact that they may well be dead in a few weeks. The choice of final year high school students is interesting for more than one reason--these are kids who have spent their whole school lives working toward their adult lives and now they have discovered that the world is out of control and that their may not be any kind of future at all. (Which is basically how I felt during my last term at high school and the weeks that followed.) With time running out, and total anarchy breaking out across the earth, these kids are forced to grow up in some surprising ways and learn some very harsh lessons. (For example Eliza has been avoiding her mother and then time literally runs out for the pair to reconcile before the asteroid hits.)
And, just as nothing is certain in adulthood, it is not certain that the asteroid will even hit earth--there is 66.6% chance (clever symbolism there,) that the asteroid will hit and the author ends the story the only way that a story like this can end.
We All Looked Up is a book about four very different people who are on the cusp of adulthood who, after the news that an asteroid is headed toward earth, come to grips with the fact that they may well be dead in a few weeks. The choice of final year high school students is interesting for more than one reason--these are kids who have spent their whole school lives working toward their adult lives and now they have discovered that the world is out of control and that their may not be any kind of future at all. (Which is basically how I felt during my last term at high school and the weeks that followed.) With time running out, and total anarchy breaking out across the earth, these kids are forced to grow up in some surprising ways and learn some very harsh lessons. (For example Eliza has been avoiding her mother and then time literally runs out for the pair to reconcile before the asteroid hits.)
And, just as nothing is certain in adulthood, it is not certain that the asteroid will even hit earth--there is 66.6% chance (clever symbolism there,) that the asteroid will hit and the author ends the story the only way that a story like this can end.
We All Looked Up is a book about people on the cusp of adulthood that should very much appeal to readers who are in the same age group.
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