“I saw the world from the stars’ point of view, and it looked unbearably lonely.”
Shaun David Hutchinson’s We Are the Ants may be deceptively long in the spine, but do not be mistaken: this Sci-Fi Contemporary novel is one that you won’t put down until the end.
The book follows teenager Henry Denton, whom life has dealt a number on: his family is nothing if not dysfunctional, the students at school practically vie for his blood, and he recently lost his boyfriend to suicide. Perhaps worst of all and most peculiarly, he’s become the subject of repetitive abduction by aliens. During one of these kidnappings, they come to him with a proposition: the world is to end in 144 days, and Henry can stop the disaster from arriving – all he has to do is press a button. Despite this obvious solution, Henry can’t help but hesitate. Is there anything on Earth that’s truly worth saving?
The book is a masterful exploration of emotion, humanity, and grief. Henry is a sympathetic lead not only out of circumstance, but because he brings readers on a journey alongside him – one of mourning and realization. Not a single character went to waste, either – all, whether of a minimal role or taking a stand as an antagonist, were so fully fleshed out. They appeared as real people; not always redeemable, but grounded, organic, and flawed. Thought-provoking and raw, Hutchinson’s offering is one worth taking advantage of.
We Are the Ants is available for pickup from both of the Fairfield Public Libraries.
Review by Eleanor