We Are the Ants

by Hutchinson, Shaun David
ISBN: 9781481449649
5 (1)
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Used - Trade Paperback - 9781481449649

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Overview

From the "author to watch" (Kirkus Reviews) of The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley comes an "equal parts sarcastic and profound" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel about a teenage boy who must decide whether or not the world is worth saving.

Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button.

Only he isn't sure he wants to.

After all, life hasn't been great for Henry. His mom is a struggling waitress held together by a thin layer of cigarette smoke. His brother is a jobless dropout who just knocked someone up. His grandmother is slowly losing herself to Alzheimer's. And Henry is still dealing with the grief of his boyfriend's suicide last year.

Wiping the slate clean sounds like a pretty good choice to him.

But Henry is a scientist first, and facing the question thoroughly and logically, he begins to look for pros and cons: in the bully who is his perpetual one-night stand, in the best friend who betrayed him, in the brilliant and mysterious boy who walked into the wrong class. Weighing the pain and the joy that surrounds him, Henry is left with the ultimate choice: push the button and save the planet and everyone on it...or let the world--and his pain--be destroyed forever.

  • Format: TradePaperback
  • Author: Hutchinson, Shaun David
  • ISBN: 9781481449649
  • Condition: Used
  • Dimensions: 8.30 x 1.50
  • Number Of Pages: 480
  • Publication Year: 2017

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  • A young man sees his own life through the eyes of aliens

    Thao N. - 1 year ago

    Shaun David Hutchinsons We Are the Ants is a coming of age story of Henry Denton. He is a gay teenage outcast who is bullied at school, and nothing seems like it should be. His boyfriend was the only bright spot in his life and had just committed suicide. His home life is a wreck with a brother who is sometimes abusive, a grandmother who is often forgetful, and a mother trying to pull it all together. The narrative is written in Henry's perspective including his thoughts and outlook on life. From the very beginning, we are introduced to Henry's anguish and the story of his abduction by aliens who are intent on asking him to consider destroying all of humanity by hitting a button. In the beginning, Henry is intent on destroying humanity because he did not see any redemption for humanity. But when Diego Vega is introduced we see Henry's outlook on life improve. The narration is masterfully written so that even if the reader is far removed from Henry's life and situation they can understand his ordeals. The characters are well developed with intense emotions and well rounded. Throughout the book, the reader can immerse in Henry's world and his psyche. The plot is well conceived by centering on Henry's views on life. Henry is a likable teenager, still full of angst, but an adult reader would be able to understand him rather than dismiss him as an angst filled and spoiled teenager. The ending is satisfying because the reader understands that Henry's life is not perfect, but it is as he wished it. The plot was never really about the alien abduction, but rather Henry's coming of age from a victimized teenager into a well-rounded person who can deal with the world on his own terms.

    HPB Staff Review