Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Sunny at the End of the World

ebook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

In 2018, seventeen-year-old Sunny and Toby are on the run after zombies have destroyed most of the adults in their world. Cut to 2034 when Sunny is being held in an underground facility. What happened? Was it aliens, a conspiracy, a simulation, biological terrorism, a totalitarian takeover? And who can infiltrate the facility and release the surviving prisoners? The tables will be turned more than once in this thrilling and thought-provoking novel.

With Steph Bowe's sad passing at the age of twenty-five, in 2020, we lost a truly wonderful author of three smart, funny YA novels. Her mother and sister discovered a manuscript on her computer: the book you have in your hands. Steph was always wise beyond her years, with the power to access other worlds. Somehow, in Sunny at the End of the World, she predicted an 'outbreak' much like the one that changed our world, after she was gone...With her trademark humour, endearing characters and brilliant storytelling, Steph Bowe has left us a novel that helps to make sense of the rapidly changing world we live in.

Steph Bowe was born in Melbourne in 1994. Her first YA novel, Girl Saves Boy, published in 2010, was aptly described by Rebecca Stead as 'full of the absolute truth—life is complicated'. Steph went on to publish two further YA novels, All This Could End, which was longlisted for the 2014 Gold Inky Award, and Night Swimming, a Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable Book in 2018, when it was also longlisted for a Sisters in Crime Davitt Award.

Sadly, Steph passed away on 20 January 2020, after a courageous battle with a rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She was twenty-five. The manuscript of her posthumous novel, Sunny at the End of the World, was discovered on her computer by Steph's mother and sister.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Books+Publishing

      January 21, 2025
      Steph Bowe’s Sunny at the End of the World, published posthumously, provides clear evidence of Bowe’s creative skills levelling up. The book is set across dual timelines in 2018 and 2034, and action, horror and twists abound. In 2018, a confronting opening line hooks us as we meet Sunny through a first-person narrative. This is followed by an epistolary introduction to Toby. A zombie virus has speedily spread through the country, and the reader is swept up in the urgency, panic and fear of the unknown. The second timeline takes us to a new reality, a dystopia in the not-too-distant future, where the fallout from the zombie apocalypse has impacted everything and everyone. We learn about life in these disturbing times through Vee, her reflections, decisions and interactions. Bowe’s world-building is solid, weaving in recognisable Australian coastal towns, landmarks and pop-culture references. Chapters alternating between the timelines cleverly give readers a chance to catch up with the fast-paced action, with lots of humour thrown in. Themes are extensive and thought-provoking, including friendship, family, courage, resilience, survival, genocide and morals/ethics. The full cast of diverse and original characters, human or otherwise, are well-drawn, and the dialogue and banter are stand-outs, propelling the narrative forward. This reviewer will fondly remember Sunny, who is, by name and nature, ever-optimistic and very funny across both worlds. Readers aged 14+ and fans of Bowe’s previous, firmly contemporary, YA novels (Night Swimming, All This Could End) will enjoy this new cross-genre adventure.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading