We Are The Ants By Shaun David Hutchinson

This review will contain spoilers towards the end. I gave We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson 5/5 stars.

This is a stand alone realistic fiction novel full of emotions, aliens, and beautifully lyrical writing.

I just want to preface this review by saying that this book became my all time favorite novel (or at least tied for that) immediately after finishing it, I loved this book.

Plot

“We’re not words, Henry, we’re people. Words are how others define us, but we can define ourselves any way we choose” 

This novel follows Henry Denton, a high school senior who, throughout his life, has been abducted by aliens multiple times. The book opens with Henry being abducted and informed by the aliens (or sluggers as he calls them), that the world is going to end in some way in 144 days from his abduction (The world will end January 29, 2016), unless he presses a big red button that they present him with, which will stop the end of the world.

The remainder of the story follows Henry’s life during those 144 days of him trying to decide whether or not he wants to save the world or let humanity all die out in some unknown way.

General Thoughts

“The universe may forget us, but it doesn’t matter. Because we are the ants, and we’ll keep marching on.”

This book was breathtaking. I am normally not a fan, nor do I really read, contemporary/realistic fiction, but this book went beyond all my expectations. It has been almost a month since I have read it, and I am still sort of speechless at how amazing and inspiring it was.

This novel was super impactful and truly makes the reader think, not only about our own life, but also about the lives of those around you.

The writing style was absolutely beautiful and lyrical and was full of rich and moving quotes. The book was easy to get into and held my attention from the first word all the way to the last. The pacing of the story was excellent as well as all the subplots that were added in to keep the story moving but not take away from the main story-line.

The characters all felt fully developed and the author did an amazing job at showing how they grew throughout the story.

The Ending – Spoilers

The book ends on the 143 day with Henry, his boyfriend Diego, and best friend Audrey all siting on the beach and watching the stars. We never find out how or if the world ends!! “What!?” (That was my exact reaction when finishing the book.) I have been thinking on this ending trying to come up with some conclusion as to what could have possibly happened because Henry never pressed the button! But at the end of the book he begins to doubt if any of the abductions actually happened.

This ending has left me not only emotional and speechless, but has made me think so much on what could have happened if he did or did not press the button.

Final Thoughts – End of Spoilers

I think I have run out of adjectives to describe how amazing this book is, but it truly is spectacular.

If you have not read this book, you definitely should because I think everyone should read this remarkable story full of friendship, aliens, and finding out who you truly are and how you can impact the world.

2 thoughts on “We Are The Ants By Shaun David Hutchinson

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