Book Review: A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

My name's Griz. My childhood wasn't like yours. I've never had friends, and in my whole life I've not met enough people to play a game of football.

My parents told me how crowded the world used to be, but we were never lonely on our remote island. We had each other, and our dogs.

Then the thief came.

There may be no law left except what you make of it. But if you steal my dog, you can at least expect me to come after you.

Because if we aren't loyal to the things we love, what's the point?

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So, yes, where to begin. When I got A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World I quickly removed the jacket as I did not want to read any of the quotes on the cover. I also just found out after finishing the book that C.A. Fletcher is the synonym of Charlie Fletcher who for me is better known for the Oversight series a fantasy series brimming with magic. For others, he might best be known for his Stoneheart series. Anyway. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is something completely different. This is a post-apocalyptic story about a boy looking for his dog as the name implies. But it is much, much more. It's a story about love, mistakes, conquering your fears, perseverance and above all joy. 

There was a note in the book saying that somethings should best be kept secret. When I finished the last sentence of the book I understood what was meant by this. I will do my best to write a spoiler free review. 

Meet Griz. Griz lives with his family on a small island just outside of the mainland of Great Britain. Before we can start his story we need to talk about what happened. There was an event called the Gelding which killed nearly the entire population of Earth. Now only a handful of people have survived. Griz and his family are part of the (un)lucky few ones. let's get back to Griz. Griz and his family are living on the island like hunter-gatherers, they have a small flock of sheep they herd and also live mostly from the sea. If they need other materials they go a-Viking to scavenge for other goods from nearby islands. The mainland is also an option but this treacherous though, according to many. 

One day Griz sees red sails on the horizon. Nobody from the family knows these red from who these red sails are. Soon they meet a new person, which given the only few survivors is a rare commodity. This stranger is called Brand. And Brand has come with good intentions, that of trading and bargaining. Brand also shows other riches, that of perfectly sweet orange marmalade. Only for the family with a very bitter after taste. Brand has his thoughts on the trusty companion of Griz, his dog Jess. Female dogs are hard to come by after the Gelding. Brand played it smart and drugged Griz and his family and took off with Jess. Though by a fortunate earlier event the drugged marmalade didn't last that long on Griz. Griz thus sees Brand take off with his dogs and goes into full pursuit. This is where I need to leave the story as going into more details would spoil it. 

The way that the story in The Boy and His Dog at the End of the world is told is from a personal perspective. Griz is writing down most of the events that he is experiencing. This makes his story very personal and engaging. He accounts this story to a picture that has found in a house when he went a-Viking. What I personally liked about this narration is, the fact that it puts you close to the actual events or at least gives the feeling like you are there next to Griz. 

During Griz's journey, there are high highs but also low lows. By the engaging writing style, each of these singular events resonates so much stronger and build upon each other to make it that much better. There were some events in the story that made me scream "No Charlie, don't!" but reading some more pages some events did turn out okay again but other events stayed in a minor. 

When I first read about Griz at the beginning of the story I did not know where to place him exactly. He is a likable character, cares for his family and his dogs. As soon as he sets sail to follow Brand he soon realizes that he is completely on his own. This perception ignites a certain spark of determination in him that stays with Griz as the story progresses. This helps to make his character grow as a person, for the better. 

What I liked about some of the goings of the post-Gelding world is how Griz is discovering a lot of things that we are taking for granted. They do not have electricity anymore so no computers and telephones etc. but the joy that they are getting from an old record player puts a smile on your face.

Looking over the complete story there is one theme that stands out the most, that of friendship. Griz's friendship to his family, to his friends and to his loyal dogs. It might be a message to all of us that there is nothing more powerful than having a loyal friendship. Do not let these things go to waste. 

When I finished reading The Boy and His Dog at the End of the World one thing struck me. This story is precisely what is meant by a story that pulls you in and does not let you go. Charlie Fletcher has outdone himself in writing The Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, it is on another level. I had mixed emotions about this book when I put it down. I wanted to scream, swear, cry and laugh at the same time. During some of the chapters, there is recitation from a poem about joy. When I look back on the whole of the story, Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 "Ode to Joy" somehow springs to my mind and it fits for me perfectly. Even though this is written in D-minor. The Boy and His Dog at the End of the World will leave you on a high note. Definitely get this book as soon as you can.