Perhaps
that is what I like best in Steph Bowe’s posthumously published, Sunny At
The End Of The World. Even this ingenious title suggests something beyond
utter hopelessness. Can an ending really be the start of something new? This
premise forms just one part of Bowe’s YA fiction which prima facie, seems a
straightforward dystopic foray into Zombieland.
We’ve
seen that all before, right? An almost comic romp into the horror of the after dead.
And yet, within Bowe’s capable and quirky hands, Sunny’s worlds, past and future,
assume a reality that teens immediately warm to.
It’s 2018 just days after a global outbreak leaves the world afflicted and stricken. Zombies plague the major living centres, destroying civilisation as we know it, undermining any survivors’ sense of security and sanity.
It’s a world gone mad. Unexpected. Absolute. And eerily reminiscent of another similar such outbreak that changed the face of global societies forever … I digress …
Cut
to 2034, the future, where Sunny is imprisoned in a facility she neither
understands nor wants to be part of anymore. Her subsequent escape is the explosive
catalyst of the co-joining of her two storylines: her search for the truth of what
happened to her world and humanity and her and Toby’s run from the zombi
hordes.
Sunny
may or may not be a zombie herself (this is not a giveaway but integral part of
the story that adds depth to the whole presupposition(s)). Bowe creates something
I did not see coming in a zombie festooned tale, a sense of caring. Sure, the intrigue
surrounding conspiracy theories and terrorism are cute drawcards, but it’s the
believable (if one is able to believe in the undead), characterisations of
Sunny and her erstwhile mate, Toby, that really slam up the emotional
investment.
I
like just like Sunny, really like her, in spite of the fact that one tiny nick
from her gnashers could end my comfortable normality. She’s funny and feisty. Mix
this with a fierce loyalty and sense of righteousness and well you have someone,
who in my mind, is just a little like her creator was and that’s the best compliment
I can give this book. Is this my fave Bowe read of all time? Well, I’m not a
strict connoisseur of zombies or end of world mysteries but it did evoke several
different emotions, made me smile and most of all made me reappreciation Bowe’s
appreciable talent.
If
you love Bowe’s previous works, if you enjoy a bit of post-apocalyptic sass, if
zombies are your thing … or you’re just as curious as I was to read one more
thing of Steph’s, take yourself to the end of the world with Sunny.
Title: Sunny At The End Of The
World
Author: Steph Bowe
Publisher: Text Publishing, $22.99
Publication Date: March 2025
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781922790767
For ages: 14+
Type: Young Adult Fiction
