I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

As London is flooding, an unnamed woman gives birth to a baby boy she names Z. They move from place to place in search of food and safety, as the world becomes entirely different from the world of today due to the environmental crises. At the same time, the baby has never known anything different, and he thrives against all odds.

Have you ever read an apocalyptic or dystopian novel and wondered what it would be like to be a normal person in that world? That is this book. There is no hero to save them from the circumstances they must endure; it is just the reality of the new world. This story gives few details to make the characters more relatable to any reader. However, for me, this also made it hard to connect to the characters. This novella was a quick read, but I wish it had been longer with more plot to the story.

This book was short, at 160 pages. Although sparse it was beautifully written. I appreciated the minimalistic style of the book however it left me wanting more. I wanted to know more about the characters and the fact that we only got initials for names did not help the cause.

This needed more. More of anything. It reads like the journal from the main character, and it's probably realistically what someone would write, but it doesn't make for a great novel. There's not much detail-- neither about her day-to-day life nor the larger world. That makes some sense, since she wouldn't need to reminder herself of the everyday details, and she purposefully doesn't listen to the news, so she's unaware; it leaves the reader unmoored, though.

Likewise, this is only a listing of events. There's no dialogue, so we only get her words; the other characters have no more dimension than their identifiers (everyone is referred to only as a letter, not a full name, and that's about how much personality they all have). The diarist focuses on events, not even how she felt or what she thought or feared, so even the main character herself is slim. It reads more like a short story.

I adored this book. Sparse prose but very affecting. If you enjoyed this I’d also recommend The End of the World Running Club.

I am having a difficult time reviewing this book. I do think it is worth reading There were many moments in the book that I felt were thought-provoking and so well written that I wanted to read the sentence so that I would remember it. However, I do feel that Megan could have expanded on the story itself. Having said this, I would still recommend this book.

I loved this book. The prose was sparse but beautiful and the themes really spoke to me and had me empathizing with the characters. The only thing I didn't love was the use of initials to refer to people. It felt distancing and a bit gimmicky to me. But overall, it was a powerful read.

I think The End We Start From would make a great book club selection as it provides much to talk about - motherhood, family, being a refugee, isolation, loss and growth.

There's no shortage of apocalyptic fiction, especially climate-centric plot lines, but this easily stands out in the crowd. I loved the mother/child relationship that adds tension and stakes to the story. It's lyrical and haunting, and just a bit chilling too. Clear your calendar because you're going to read this in one day.

This was not for me. I love stylised writing but it’s easy to get it wrong, and this was all wrong. The staccato, abbreviated writing style felt laboured and was neither beautiful nor insightful enough to be truly poetic. Rather, it was just many, many repetitive sentence structures that left me entirely untouched. The total focus on the baby was tedious rather than poignant, a metaphor that wasn’t elaborate (or elaborated) enough to sustain 160 pages. It lacked both tension and character and didn’t have the depth to carry off the mannered style.

This book had a most unique and clever writing style. It gave it an almost ethereal, dreamlike quality. Considering the subject matter, it felt more than appropriate.

The characters were not overly developed, and the plot just sort of went by. Yet in the way it was told I felt almost as numb as the main character, going through the motions where living is enough, surviving all you can really ask for. Heartbreaking and hopeful. Not hard to imagine. Completely addictive one sitting read.

Imagine being pregnant at a time when the world seems to be coming to an end. Rising sea levels have caused catastrophic flooding throughout England. The woman, her husband, and her in-law’s must find abandon their home and find shelter…somewhere…only days after she’s given birth to their first and only child. As society starts to slowly disintegrate, she holds onto the intangibles, the wonder of her new child, how he looks when he’s nursing, his natural draw to the ocean, the way he breathes when she sleeps. Her son is her touchstone as they plod through, finding their way in an ever-changing world.

I’m struggling to find the words to say what I want to say the right way here. This is not a book for everyone. Not because there is anything offensive in it, nothing gruesome or scary, no profanity or sex, and it isn’t a difficult read. It’s just…unusual. The kind of unusual not everyone can appreciate fully, I suspect. While dystopian in nature, it doesn’t come with all the violence, desperation, drama, and franticness commonly found in the genre. That’s because this book is really about motherhood and connectedness, and the world crumbling around them is mostly background noise. It’s an intriguing lens through which to view the early years of motherhood.

The writing style is rather unique. I keep arguing with myself, again lacking the right word, trying to decide between simple and stark. Neither seems right. Maybe the best way to describe it is this: Megan Hunter knows how to use a few words in a way that is both extremely accessible and deeply affecting.

This is a quick read, but a bit unusual. Most likely, I’d recommend it to my literature loving friends.

Beautifully and frustratingly sparse. This book is written in absolutely stunning prose that in places feels like poetry. It is stylistically wonderful - its sparseness works great in conveying the way the world has shrunk around the protagonist; minimizing her field of vision around the essentials: her new-born son and her husband.

Thoroughly deserving of the hype it is receiving. This book is a beautiful novel and the premise is unique and well established

I think I may be a little too pedestrian for this book. I could see where I was meant to end up, but I didn't get there. I may have to read it in a few more years, when I have more of a literary cache to draw on.

This was a story about a dystopian world where London is flooding. The characters are named by letters. The narrator is pregnant and moving about the city with her husband and relatives. The narrator lives in her car and become a first time parent while trying to survive this climate disaster.

I couldn't get into this one. The writing style was very distracting, however, it did have some beautiful prose moments. But not much else for me.

I feel it brought some good themes and important issues into question however I couldn't grab much from it. It didn't feel complete. There were too many empty spaces where it only annoyed me and i wanted to just finish this already. Its such a short book so it was easy enough to do.

I feel perhaps other would like it but I wouldn't highly recommend it.

An usual and poetic little book, with beautiful contemporary images mingling into a timeless tale. Many cultures and religions agree there once a great flood that covered the Earth. Megan Hunter reminds us of this global connection, together with the heartfelt human experience of motherly love.

Hmm. The writing is sparse and beautiful and I love the premise, but I felt like there wasn't enough to get my teeth in to. It really could have done with another 100 pages tbh.

There has been quite a lot of hype about this book, including eye-catching displays in a well-known book shop. The apocalyptic, somewhat dystopian nature of Megan Hunter’s novel made me want to read it. It’s a very short, very spare read - and worth the brief ride with the main character, a nameless mother of Z, even though it is quite perplexing at the same time.

It appears that a global disaster has taken place and London is under water. Communities are ruined; people have fled. Our protagonist has moved north with her baby and partner. They stay in shelters, meet others in the same situation. No-one has a name as such - just a letter to represent them.

Hunter’s tale is relevant for our uncertain times, with nuclear war threats and the global warming crisis in the daily news. Despite this, I found the prose too raw, too detached, which I guess is the point. Having enjoyed ‘The Road’ many years ago, I found the themes harrowing, as I did in this novel as well. However, perhaps due to its brevity, it left me feeling empty, which is maybe the writer’s intention. Writing in such a spare way is no mean feat and I respect Hunter for this, although I prefer a meatier, more engrossing story.

I loved this novella set in the midst of an environmental disaster, whilst the main character is grappling with becoming a new mother. The writing is sparse, poetic and dream-like and was a joy to read.

These 160 pages pack quite a punch, covering topics such as murder, families being torn apart, survival and hope. Following a post apocalyptic world, through a lengthy period of time, a small family try to make their way in what seems to be the new way of life. Although the book doesn't delve into a lot of what the family is doing - it sure delves into their emotions and struggles.

Although the book followed a format I've never seen before, it was quite easy to understand and worked in the books favour.

The only problem that I had with the book was that it wasn't disclosed what happened with a few characters.

I devoured this beautiful book in one sitting and found myself musing on motherhood in all of the weird and wonderful ways it can materialise. We follow our unnamed narrator as she gives birth to her son, Z, while the world around her slowly falls apart in the wake of a flood. The story is interspersed with excerpts from various creation myths and the overall effect is lyrical and ethereal. At heart, this is a book about being a mother - the specific fear that brings and the all encompassing love it creates. It deals with the realities of breastfeeding, the smell of a nappy and the protection of innocence in a world that is scarily recognisable, but not quite our own. All in all, this is a poignant and honest novel with true beauty at its core.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.