If you got a call saying that in less than 24 hours, your life was to end, what would you do? How would you even begin to spend your final day of life? Who would you want to do things with and talk to? And what if you found yourself with no one to spend those precious hours with?
They Both Die at the End begins with Mateo and Rufus, two young men who have never met before, but both are shocked to receive the ominous call – they have less than 24 hours left to live. Rushing to spend their final days well, they meet up through a Final Friend networking service and resolve to spend their final hours in each other’s company. As the clock ticks down and their loved ones seek to savour every final moment with them, the two must make difficult choices about their activities, their pasts and each other, before their times expire.
First of all, having the initial outcome of the book as the title, as well as explained as a certainty at the start is very unusually refreshing. You often go into stories like this wondering if the characters will escape together or live their lives differently as a result of meeting each other, but knowing that this won’t happen and each will actually die instantly shifted the way I read this book.
I also really enjoyed the structure. Each few pages were told from a different perspective, whether this be Mateo, Rufus or someone else’s and having all of these time-stamped really helped to reinforce how these scenes and people were interacting. It was also suspenseful to be able to count down with the characters, knowing their likelihoods of passing were increasing with each passing second, and page.
The entire premise of this story was original and structured very well, even down to the brief explorations of the people who explain to random strangers that their lives are almost over. It makes complete sense that so many people who are about to pass would want to spend the day with other people, and having a service to allow these people to connect makes so much sense and yet is a plot device I’ve never come across before. A Tinder for the dying, if you will. Following these two with such good chemistry, from their friendship to unlikely romance was hugely rewarding. I also enjoyed the false endings at different parts of the story, including the shop bombing and gang violence story element that felt very Final Destination when our characters were able to survive.
If I was alone and had no one to turn to when being told I had less than a day to live, I’d want an app such as Final Friend to find me someone to spend my final hours with. And the dynamics that this story crafts throughout its pages are a joy to read. From a good structure, to convincing characters and an engaging storyline, that is deeply moving but not saddening throughout makes this, in my opinion, a great piece of fiction. I would love to read a second story in this universe!
Rating: ★★★★☆
They Both Die at the End (ISBN: 978-1-4711-6620-4) was published in 2017. A copy is available to borrow from the LGBTQ+ Lending Library in the LGBTQ+ Lounge
