They Both Die at the End

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera is set up to devastate you, but it’s touching and just out there enough to keep you reading through the dread.

Mateo and Rufus have their early morning hours interrupted by dreaded calls from Death-Cast. After finding out they’re going to die before the day’s end, they both end up on the Last Friend app. Ever-cautious Mateo and ever-adventurous Rufus seem like two pieces of very different puzzles, but it turns out they’re exactly who the other needed. Rufus helps Mateo come out of his shell and Mateo helps Rufus come to terms with some of his past. As they venture through New York City trying to make the most out of their last day, you’re left wondering if the title could someway, somehow not portend their fate.

First and foremost, I would absolutely under no circumstances want to live in a world where Death-Cast is real. Especially not during a pandemic like the very real one in the very real world right now. Like, it’s already hard enough not being anxious about uncertain future events that I imagine I’d spend every night staying awake until 3 A.M. in a blind panic waiting to find out if a loved one or I got the call. Just absolute insanity.

However, reading this book where this “technology” is entirely normal was wild in itself. Silvera does a fantastic job making New York, and the world, seem simultaneously absolutely normal and recognizable and also entirely foreign and fantasy by inserting just enough Death-Cast adjacent tech to keep you on your toes. The Make-A-Moment space and Travel Arena seamlessly blend into this alternate universe NYC alongside Central Park. Twitter and Instagram and Facebook exist as we know them but there are also social media sites specifically for people subscribed to Death-Cast’s services. There are talks of being able to schedule your last tweet or status update and already a way to design your own headstone. It’s frankly unsettling how formulaic and normalized the specter of death has become in this fictional universe

Reading this during the pandemic we’ve all been finding our way through gave me a different perspective than readers might’ve had when it came out in 2018. On one hand, I wonder if there would be so many people taking risks (ie, remaining unvaccinated, refusing to wear a mask) if they knew going to that busy party could lead to the dreaded phone call. Realistically, I can’t help but think not even the confirmation of their pending deaths would change their minds but I still can’t help but wonder. On the other hand, I wonder if Death-Cast itself would be able to survive the pandemic. The book shows us the toll the entire setup takes on the employees and if there were ever an event that would be too much for the human beings on the other end of the call, it would be almost two full years of mass death.

I certainly didn’t read this book quickly. And if I’m being honest, I don’t think I would’ve wanted to speed through it. You know from the very start that you’re only getting one day with Mateo and Rufus and everyone who touches their lives, so it feels somewhat fitting to stretch their day as long as possible.

You can buy your own copy of They Both Die at the End here or borrow it from your local library.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you use my link to make a purchase