We Are the Ants: Book Review By: Addison
The book We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson is about a depressed teenager, Henry, struggling with the death of his boyfriend. His home life wasn't as good as it could've been; his brother was a jerk and Henry thought his girlfriend (who his brother had gotten pregnant) was annoying, his mother was single and struggling to provide for them, and his grandmother was quickly developing dementia. He blamed all of his problems on his boyfriend's suicide, saying that none of the misfortunes in his life would have happened if he had stuck around.
However, one day he gets abducted by aliens (something that had been happening for years now) who said that he had 144 days to decide if he wanted to save the world by pressing the red button they had given him. The only thing is, he's not so sure if he wants to save it. With all the stuff happening in Henry's life, he wasn't sure if humanity was worth saving. The only thing stopping Henry from pushing that button is that he is a scientist. He wanted to think things through before jumping to conclusions and ending it all.
Along with his issues at home, he also had issues at school. When the abductions first started, he had stupidly told people his stories, resulting in years of bullying. He started to hook up with one of his bullies, Marcus. Marcus pretended that Henry didn't even exist at school, outside of the constant torment that he put him through.
Henry meets this boy Diego and they instantly hit it off, even if he didn't want to. He felt guilty because he felt like he was replacing his now-dead boyfriend Jesse. Diego obviously liked him, which made the guilt in his chest rise even more. He then started hanging out with Annie, Jesse's best friend.
Soon, everything starts going south. His mother's health and mental state is declining rapidly, his grandmother's dementia was getting worse, and his brother was being even more aggressive because he was stressed about being a dad.
Really, the only question is, would you press the button and save the world?
Hey Addison! I love how you wrote this review, it's so detailed but also leaves some suspense! I may have to read this book because of your review. Keep the good work! :))
ReplyDeleteThis book seems so interesting! When I get through the stack of books I have backed up, I'll give this one a read!
ReplyDeleteI just really want to know what happens now. Also, Henry really chose the Enemies to Lovers trope with Marcus. I honestly just want to know how that happened....
ReplyDeleteHe really got himself into that one... All I know is that it causes chapters upon chapters of panic attacks that were SO EASILY avoidable hehehe :D
DeleteHi Addison, this certainly sounds like an interesting book! I was definitely taken off guard when you went from his struggling family to suddenly aliens and saving the world. I'm really curious to know more about the alien encounters as it seems like a pretty major event that you didn't talk about much (which thank you for no spoilers!). For example, what is he saving the world from? Why did the aliens pick him? I feel like most people would automatically want to save the world, so I find it intriguing that Henry is hesitant. If he doesn't want to push the button for his own sake, and because of how much he is suffering, what about the billions of other people living on this planet? I'm confused on the whole button thing- how does that even work? Either way, your review has left me with a lot to think about! I also love how you ended with a suspenseful question. I guess I would initially want to save the world. But I guess now I'll have to read the whole story, find out the details, and make a decision for myself. Great review, Addison!
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