On the Edge of Gone - Corinne Duyvis

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

This is an ownvoices book about an autistic character, written by an autistic author. And the author is the creator of the #ownvoices hashtag! So that really caught my interest.

The book opens on Denise and her addict mother trying to get to a bunker, because a comet is about to come and destroy a big part of the earth. They've known about it for six months, but they're late, and end up on a generation ship that is getting ready to leave Earth soon after the comet hits. Denise needs to find a way to make everyone accept her and her mother on the ship, as well as find her (trans) sister, who is missing. There's missing supplies, and distress signals from trapped people, and lots of debate about who is worth saving and accepting onto the ship, since it can't support everyone once they leave for space.

I loved getting this Own Voices portrayal of someone with autism struggling with stress and responsibility, and trying to seem "normal" enough to add value to the ship. The emphasis is on Denise and her family, and not really the comet hitting or going into space, but I still found it exciting and quite compelling, even though it was different from the apocalyptic novel I was expecting.