Source: review copy provided by publisher. This is a review of my reading experience.
At the End of Every Day is Arianna Reiche's debut novel.
In this haunting debut novel—perfect for fans of Iain Reid, Jeff VanderMeer, and Julia Armfield—a loyal employee at a collapsing theme park questions the recent death of a celebrity visitor, the arrival of strange new guests, her boyfriend’s erratic behavior, and ultimately her own sanity.
Delphi has spent years working at a vast and iconic theme park in California after fleeing her childhood trauma in her rural hometown. But after the disturbing death of a beloved Hollywood starlet on the park grounds, Delphi is tasked with shuttering The Park for good.
Meanwhile, two siblings with ties to The Park exchange letters, trying to understand why people who work there have been disappearing. Before long, they learn that there’s a reason no one is meant to see behind The Park’s curtain.
What happens when The Park empties out? And what happens when Delphi, who seems remarkably at one with The Park, is finally forced to leave?
At once a novel about the uncanny valley, death cults, optical illusions, and the enduring power of fantasy, Reiche’s debut is a mind-bending teacup ride through an eerily familiar landscape, where the key to it all is what happens At the End of Every Day.
There were three main reasons that I was excited
to read At the End of Every Day. 1) it's a debut novel 2) it's being
billed as literary horror 3) it's being compared to books by Jeff
VanderMeer and Ian Reed. I had hoped At the End of Every Day would be a
new favorite addition to the "new weird" genre.
At the End of
Every Day had a really great start. I was intrigued by the theme park
setting and by the characters. I didn't realize until after I started
reading At the End of Every Day that the spiral on the cover was a
roller coaster!
I became less and less interested as the book
progressed and by the end I was just confused. I was confused about what
was happening, and I was confused about what kind of book it was
supposed to be.
I felt the Ian Reed comparison briefly, and I
guess I haven't read enough Jeff VanderMeer to get the comparison here.
I'm not sure who I would recommend this book to. The main characters
work at a large theme park that is being disassembled. The synopsis says
"the key to it all is what happens at the end of every day". Frankly
I'm confused why this was even a reveal. Maybe this book just went over
my head.
⭐⭐★★★
2/5 stars
