"This is Where it Ends"

“This is Where it Ends” is a book about a school shooting. Please do not read any further if you are not comfortable .

“This is Where it Ends” by Marieke Nijkamp chronicles a shooting in the fictional town of Opportunity, Alabama at Opportunity High School. We see the perspective of four senior students who significantly form this story. Their actions range from getting help, helping evacuate the auditorium where the shooter is and putting themselves in harm’s way just to bring down the shooter. This is perhaps one of the most emotionally wrenching books I have ever read, as it deals with so many issues, from homophobia to mental illness to, well, school shootings. Mind you, this is not based off of any actual shooting. The author of this book, Marieke Nijkamp, did an amazing amount of research for this book. In her words, “For every hour I spent writing, I spent another [hour] (at least) researching.”

The book is action-packed and suspenseful from beginning to end. From the moment that the shooter enters the auditorium (a former student of the high school, I might add), Nijkamp beautifully draws a morbid picture of an event that we would never want to happen to us. It immerses you in each character, who come from all walks of life: the athlete, the jokester, the dancer and the peacemaker. It’s intriguing to the point that you just don’t want to put the book down until you finish it, and then you want to read it again. Overall, this is a book that, while can be seen as controversial, might be one of the best books you will ever read.

Rating - 5/5