The End of the Day

By: Claire North

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

A novel about life and death and a quest for moral purpose, by the acclaimed author of word-of-mouth best seller The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.

Sooner or later, Death visits everyone. Before that, they meet Charlie: The Harbinger.

Sometimes he comes as a courtesy, sometimes as a warning. Either way, this will be the most important meeting of your life.

But who will come for Charlie?

©2017 Claire North (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Wholly original and hauntingly beautiful." (Kirkus)

"Funny, ambitious, immensely humane and full of philosophical panache." (Sunday Times)

"A fascinating exploration of what makes us human -and a riveting journey through life, and death." (The Bookbag)

The life of the Harbinger of Death...

Usually stories about an incarnation of natural forces follow that incarnation. In this story, we're following the human employee of Death. It shows tragedy, pain, fear, love, joy, and hope.

The pacing is good, the chapters are bite-sized leading to easily listening in brief windows, or leading to a "just one more chapter" bingeing.

Narrator Peter Kenny gives life to the characters, with sufficient distinction in voices to be able to differentiate between them, and without them sounding like caricatures.

I highly recommend, with the caveat that this comes with a trigger warning. It includes contemplations of suicide, discussions of death, and some descriptions of traumatic experiences.

There are a number of what I find to be positive inclusions of LGBTQ representation throughout the novel, though the main character is not overtly LGBTQ.

No clear story

The story to me was a series of vignettes sticker together through the life of the main character. At one point I thought I had finally reached the dilemma or problem, but by the end of the book I am certain that there really was no problem because of how the author dismissed the problem altogether.

Different, humanity's humanity

Depends on how you like your stories; sometimes brutality adds realism. I think this is the case in this book that otherwise very kindly open your mind to other vues and ways of life. This is told through the eyes of an ever-forgiving messenger, it definitly brings us in a different world.

Weirdly Enjoyable Meandering Dream

Claire North is a gifted and engaging writer. This story, though not my favorite, is still strangely captivating. And the narrator is one of the finest in the business.

a hopeful story about the end

This is a hopeful story about the end, the end world, the end of life, and the end of ideas. it's hopeful message is one about the beauty and persistence of life even in the face of death. Skillfully told and narrated, the book is compelling, entertaining and thought-provoking.

Great Storytelling!

Loved this audiobook. I eagerly read Claire North and this just may be my favorite book by her. Her writing, so good in itself, is greatly enhanced by the audiobook's narrator (Peter Kenney, I think). I love this book because it's as thought provoking as it is enjoyable. Claire North captures the dignity, beauty, tragedy, horror, and ultimately the hope of humanity. I was left wanting more.

I struggled and must have missed the point.

After having listened to the 1st 15 lives of Harry August I was excited to listen to this book. Unfortunately it was anti climatic... What's a redundancy of fame. There's a very interesting concept personifying the harbor of death as well as the other horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Over and over and over again

(Spoilers obviously)
A tedious and monotonous reiteration of a concept long since done and done again.
Cons:
-The inter-chapter babble of consciousness aimlessly trying to point you in the next general concepts direction, or re-iterating it.
-The not so subtle political commentary.
-The length. This could’ve been a novella, and achieved the same goal.
-Minimal to no overarching plot.
-Charlie is awful, he’s not even really doing the whole “honoring life” thing he spews every so often. He’s more of a proxy, at best a usb and a tape recorder.

Pros:
-PETER KENNY’S amazing performance saved this almost single handedly. It allowed me to get through the whole thing.
-Claire North’s attention to detail when it comes to people he meets and places Charlie goes. The best part about this book, in my opinion, was the people and places.
-The concept of Death. Not just the death of someone but the death of ideas. Very much enjoyed this take on it.

Overall I struggled to make it through this book but I would say because of Peter Kenny’s performance and parts of the subject matter that I don’t regret getting it. A few key things stood in the way of something amazing. Mostly the cons I listed above. If you like Peter Kenny and books with a highly descriptive nature, this one might be worth a once over.

Another brilliant original concept from Ms North

I absolutely love Claire North's writing and she has moved to one of my all time favorite authors. So many other authors write what is essentially the same story that has been written 1000 times before. No North. She takes something from life that is a concept, an idea, a myth, and turns it into an original creative story. Every book is a refreshing piece worthy of your time.

The End of the Day is the same - an original take on a concept thrown around for who knows how long. What I would say about this to someone wondering if they should read it or not is this: It is not a gripping novel that takes a single issue, runs with it and solves a mystery. This is probably more true to the concept of what a "story" is than anything else. I would say it would compare to the reading out of a journal of someone famous' life story. Or really, a bunch of stories pieced together. It is a very entertaining read and worthy of everyones time to read/listen to. Do not expect a gripping mystery, just enjoy the ride of the story behind perhaps one of the most famous "people" (references?) of all time.

DEATH IS LIFE

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I recommend this book as a masterpiece of literature and of superlative performance art. This book is a profoundly artistic eschatological statement that embodies and transcends human theocratic doctrine. Life is Death. Life is a summoning of Death. Death is an acknowledgement of Life, commingled, inseparable: a definition of life as an end to physical existence and inevitable renewal.

What other book might you compare The End of the Day to and why?

Claire North is a unique and incomparable literary voice. The best way to comprehend it is to hear it performed by Peter Kenny, who is arguably one of the top 10 most accomplished narrators I have heard after listening to more than 500 audio books. His emotional and intellectual comprehension and rendering of a multitude of foreign language accents is worthy of a prolonged standing ovation for the finest theatrical performance on any stage, or through any performance medium.

Which scene was your favorite?

The entire book is a interconnected single scene accented by the profoundly rhythmic literary style of the author: poetic drama comparable to a Shakespearean play.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Awe and Wonder.