I like post apocalypse books and I'm a runner. Not a quick proper in your face runner but an average 4 miler twice a week kind of gal. So this book was right up my street.
Walker was brief about the circumstances around the world coming to an end which I think worked, lets face it the end of the world has never come about so providing detailed science isn't needed when the book in question is about a running club after the end of the world has occurred.
I had two major criticisms of this book the first (and it's a common theme at present) was that the main character was simply not likeable. There is argument that Walker deliberately made him unlikable. Lets face it, allowing your lead character to admit to not liking his children very much is an instant turn off, but I didn't understand Walker's decision because you then simply weren't rooting for him to reach Cornwall. Edgar's character didn't evolve enough for me to change my initial impression and when I don't like a character, I struggle to like the book.
My second major criticism was the running. Initially the lack of running, 206 pages in of a 400 odd page book and there wasn't even a brisk stroll (although you could see Walker was building towards running, eventually). Then once the overweight, mildly alcoholic, middle aged, non brisk walker began to run I just found it completely unbelievable. As someone who trained for the Great North Run yet is still suffering from the after effects two weeks on, to run 20 miles a day, day after day is something I think most experienced runners would struggle with. Let alone someone who has never run before and is surviving on black tea and dog food! Walker had already illustrated how Edgar wasn't your typical Hollywood father complete with desperate need driving him forward (I'm thinking The Day After Tomorrow) yet he was the one who began the running, and other than a couple of pretty big blisters seemed to survive just fine.
Aside from the running I struggled with Edgar's supporting cast. I wanted to give Beth a shake - why did she just 'patiently' look at Edgar? Why didn't she say you are a worthless loser and you need to up your game or we're leaving you? Part of me did wonder if Beth had taken the helicopter as a chance to escape Edgar and was secretly relieved when he didn't make it on to the boat. The other characters in the book were far too underdeveloped and one dimensional. I could understand Richard wanting to make the boat (too neatly dealt with at the end for me) but the Australian old guy (forgotten names already, not a good sign) was nice but left me confused as to what exactly was real about him and what wasn't. Grimes was too bland to care for and the only one I half liked (Bryce) disappeared to a fate unknown.
I got brief glimpses of the message Walker was trying to portray - how much we consume, how unsatisfied we really are, the excuses we use for lack of exercise but it was all wishy washy and not developed enough to really drive the point home. It was also disappointing to read the usual cliche of 'the world has gone to shit queue everyone following' - cannibalism, senseless murder, war lords and so forth. Yes we may possibly all turn on each other in times such as this but it's so unoriginal in a book that otherwise was trying to take a different angle. The book gets a point for that actually - it's not like anything out there at the moment and was easy to read which is always a bonus.
I think to illustrate my point best I was trying to describe the book to the rest of the group when we were talking about other books we had read this month and I actually found myself uttering the sentence "it's a man after the end of the world running to the other end of the Country to join his family and along the way he meets Jesus eating a kebab and wearing a top with the name 'Jesus' emblazoned on it." I stopped there and realised how ridiculous I sounded. It won't be staying on the shelf.
P.S If you're local, female and a beginner who isn't looking to run 20 miles a day for weeks on end, check out These Girls Can Run. They're fab.
Walker was brief about the circumstances around the world coming to an end which I think worked, lets face it the end of the world has never come about so providing detailed science isn't needed when the book in question is about a running club after the end of the world has occurred.
I had two major criticisms of this book the first (and it's a common theme at present) was that the main character was simply not likeable. There is argument that Walker deliberately made him unlikable. Lets face it, allowing your lead character to admit to not liking his children very much is an instant turn off, but I didn't understand Walker's decision because you then simply weren't rooting for him to reach Cornwall. Edgar's character didn't evolve enough for me to change my initial impression and when I don't like a character, I struggle to like the book.
My second major criticism was the running. Initially the lack of running, 206 pages in of a 400 odd page book and there wasn't even a brisk stroll (although you could see Walker was building towards running, eventually). Then once the overweight, mildly alcoholic, middle aged, non brisk walker began to run I just found it completely unbelievable. As someone who trained for the Great North Run yet is still suffering from the after effects two weeks on, to run 20 miles a day, day after day is something I think most experienced runners would struggle with. Let alone someone who has never run before and is surviving on black tea and dog food! Walker had already illustrated how Edgar wasn't your typical Hollywood father complete with desperate need driving him forward (I'm thinking The Day After Tomorrow) yet he was the one who began the running, and other than a couple of pretty big blisters seemed to survive just fine.
Aside from the running I struggled with Edgar's supporting cast. I wanted to give Beth a shake - why did she just 'patiently' look at Edgar? Why didn't she say you are a worthless loser and you need to up your game or we're leaving you? Part of me did wonder if Beth had taken the helicopter as a chance to escape Edgar and was secretly relieved when he didn't make it on to the boat. The other characters in the book were far too underdeveloped and one dimensional. I could understand Richard wanting to make the boat (too neatly dealt with at the end for me) but the Australian old guy (forgotten names already, not a good sign) was nice but left me confused as to what exactly was real about him and what wasn't. Grimes was too bland to care for and the only one I half liked (Bryce) disappeared to a fate unknown.
I got brief glimpses of the message Walker was trying to portray - how much we consume, how unsatisfied we really are, the excuses we use for lack of exercise but it was all wishy washy and not developed enough to really drive the point home. It was also disappointing to read the usual cliche of 'the world has gone to shit queue everyone following' - cannibalism, senseless murder, war lords and so forth. Yes we may possibly all turn on each other in times such as this but it's so unoriginal in a book that otherwise was trying to take a different angle. The book gets a point for that actually - it's not like anything out there at the moment and was easy to read which is always a bonus.
I think to illustrate my point best I was trying to describe the book to the rest of the group when we were talking about other books we had read this month and I actually found myself uttering the sentence "it's a man after the end of the world running to the other end of the Country to join his family and along the way he meets Jesus eating a kebab and wearing a top with the name 'Jesus' emblazoned on it." I stopped there and realised how ridiculous I sounded. It won't be staying on the shelf.
P.S If you're local, female and a beginner who isn't looking to run 20 miles a day for weeks on end, check out These Girls Can Run. They're fab.
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