Book Review: At the End of the Day

At the End of the Day by Claire North. 

Charlie has a new job. He gets to travel, and he meets interesting people, some of whom are actually pleased to see him.

It's good to have a friendly face, you see. At the end.

But the end of all things is coming. Charlie's boss and his three associates are riding out, and it's Charlie's job to go before.

Sometimes he is sent as a courtesy, sometimes as a warning. He never knows which. 

So Claire North or better known as Catherine Webb, has released some amazing books over the last couple of years. Sort of like a revolution. I got to know her by her Matthew Swift series. Her first book by Claire North that started the revolution was Harry August. Simply brilliant. Then there was Touch again she touched some great topics in this one. And now The End of the Day. Stunning again. 

Lets start, meet Charlie. Charlie just got a new job serving none other then Death himself. Yes Charlie is working as the Harbinger of Death. His job is to travel to people and present them with something, not only in one place but all over the world. Next to Charlie, the other 3 Horsemen, Pestilence, Famine and War also have their own Harbingers. But the focus is much more on Charlie. On thing to note is that The End of the Day is a special story. I will not go into the details of the visits that Charlie has with several people, they are weird, fun and emotional at times, but the story in my opinion is much more focused on Charlie's development. 

If you look at Charlie as a person, you will connect with him immediately. Just his name is fitting. Charlie. an innocent name. Then he becomes the Harbinger of Death. In his normal everyday doings he tries to be normal but you feel he has the burden of being the Harbinger on his shoulder. 

It is hard to not just what Death asks of you and how tough it will be, you know that you are the Harbinger, "the bringer of" sort of. Does it mean that every person you visit will die sooner or later? Or are some of them courtesy calls? From the beginning to end you see Charlie thinking about questions in life. Do some people deserve to die, can they still be saved in an way? This is an amazing journey with a lot of emotion. 

When you look at how the story is build. There is now definite plot that it is building up too, though the ending is satisfying. If you are familiar with Claire North's other books you should know her prose. If not it might get some getting used. In certain pages the perspectives shift a lot. For example from War to Famine to Pestilence just showing a brief story of what they are up to. 

As I already mentioned the ending is just pitch perfect. When you take into account all that has happened in the course of the book, it just couldn't end up in a more satisfying way. You will shed a tear for Charlie. 

At the end of the day, this book is a true marvel. From start to finish this book will intrigue. The story might not be a fast paced one but it is full of challenges, intensities and emotions. A winner.