Songs for the End of the World: A Novel by Saleema Nawaz (English) Paperback Boo

Description: Songs for the End of the World by Saleema Nawaz An enthralling, hopeful novel about the power of human connection in a time of crisis, as the bonds of love, family, and duty are tested. NATIONAL BESTSELLER. How quickly hed forgotten a fundamental truth: the closer you got to the heart of a calamity, the more resilience there was to be found. This is the story of a handful of people living through an unfolding catastrophe. Elliot is a first responder in New York, a man running from past failures and struggling to do the right thing. Emma is a pregnant singer preparing to headline a benefit concert for victims of a growing outbreak—all while questioning what kind of world her child is coming into. Owen is the author of a bestselling novel with eerie similarities to the real-life crisis, and as fact and fiction begin to blur, he must decide whether his lifelong instinct for self-preservation has been worth the cost. As we discover these characters ties to one another—and to the mystery of the so-called ARAMIS Girl—what emerges is an extraordinary web of connection and community that reveals none of us is ever truly alone. Brilliantly told by an unforgettable chorus of voices, this glittering novel is a moving and hopeful meditation on what we owe to ourselves and to each other. It reminds us that disaster can bring out the best in people—and that coming together may be what saves us in the end. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography SALEEMA NAWAZ is the author of two novels, most recently, Songs for the End of the World. Her first novel, Bone and Bread, won the Quebec Writers Federation Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and was a finalist for the 2016 Canada Reads competition. She is also the author of the short story collection Mother Superior, and a winner of the Writers Trust of Canada / McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. Born and raised in Ottawa, she currently lives in Montreal. Review "Given the strengths of the book, and Nawazs gifts as a writer, Songs for the End of the World was always going to be a great novel, no matter when it was published. Appearing now, however, it also serves as a pool of warm light in the darkness." —Toronto Star"Powerful. . . . Songs for the End of the World would be a riveting read at any time with its rich array of inter-connected stories, featuring characters in a wide variety of time periods and places. . . . There is definitely a hopeful message and, though it doesnt gloss over the dark side of how we react to a horrible catastrophe, in the end its all about people coming together in the darkest of times." —Montreal Gazette"A haunting and ultimately hopeful story, told by a half-dozen intricately linked characters who struggle to face down panic and despair, about the fragility of human connection and the lengths to which even ordinary people will go to keep it alive." —Brian Bethune, Macleans"Astounding. . . . The book is surprisingly reassuring. If someone could have imagined what were going through in such vivid details, it somehow makes the situation less scary, less predictable, more knowable." —Globe and Mail"Songs for the End of the World is a world apart from many of the dystopian stories that preceded it. Rather than honing in on panic, Nawaz focuses on family, love and community—experiences that may closely echo what were all going through right now. . . . Immersive and hopeful, her book is as a reminder that we are not alone, even in the most troubling of times." —Maisonneuve"A total page-turner . . . Surprisingly hopeful to read." —Becky Toyne, CBC Radios Day 6"A study in how humans react in the face of the daunting unknown. While some disaster-themed books, films, TV shows and the like depict chaos, vigilantism and societal breakdown, Nawaz highlights the ways in which people connect and foster a sense of community in the face of such widespread disaster. . . . [Emphasizes] the humanity of her characters—the ways in which they persevere and come together in the face of adversity." —Winnipeg Free Press"In these dark days, Saleema Nawaz dares to write of hope. Songs for the End of the World is a loving, vivid, tenderly felt novel about men, women, and a possible apocalypse. I couldnt put it down." —Sean Michaels, author of Us Conductors and The Wagers Review Quote "Given the strengths of the book, and Nawazs gifts as a writer, Songs for the End of the World was always going to be a great novel, no matter when it was published. Appearing now, however, it also serves as a pool of warm light in the darkness." -- Toronto Star "Powerful. . . . Songs for the End of the World would be a riveting read at any time with its rich array of inter-connected stories, featuring characters in a wide variety of time periods and places. . . . There is definitely a hopeful message and, though it doesnt gloss over the dark side of how we react to a horrible catastrophe, in the end its all about people coming together in the darkest of times." -- Montreal Gazette "A haunting and ultimately hopeful story, told by a half-dozen intricately linked characters who struggle to face down panic and despair, about the fragility of human connection and the lengths to which even ordinary people will go to keep it alive." --Brian Bethune, Macleans "Astounding. . . . The book is surprisingly reassuring. If someone could have imagined what were going through in such vivid details, it somehow makes the situation less scary, less predictable, more knowable." -- Globe and Mail " Songs for the End of the World is a world apart from many of the dystopian stories that preceded it. Rather than honing in on panic, Nawaz focuses on family, love and community--experiences that may closely echo what were all going through right now. . . . Immersive and hopeful, her book is as a reminder that we are not alone, even in the most troubling of times." -- Maisonneuve "A total page-turner . . . Surprisingly hopeful to read." --Becky Toyne, CBC Radios Day 6 "A study in how humans react in the face of the daunting unknown. While some disaster-themed books, films, TV shows and the like depict chaos, vigilantism and societal breakdown, Nawaz highlights the ways in which people connect and foster a sense of community in the face of such widespread disaster. . . . [Emphasizes] the humanity of her characters--the ways in which they persevere and come together in the face of adversity." -- Winnipeg Free Press "In these dark days, Saleema Nawaz dares to write of hope. Songs for the End of the World is a loving, vivid, tenderly felt novel about men, women, and a possible apocalypse. I couldnt put it down." --Sean Michaels, author of Us Conductors and The Wagers Excerpt from Book Quarantine Day One Elliot reported himself to the authorities later that morning in a series of phone calls that escalated through a chain of increasingly flustered functionaries. Eventually he was connected to someone at the Department of Health, to whom he managed to portray himself as something more than the average hypochondriac. The woman on the phone wasnt up-to-date on the latest media coverage, and the restaurant name he kept repeating meant nothing to her, but she believed that he thought he had been exposed. "Okay, Elliot," she said, after he told her his name and address. He could hear her typing in the background. "What youre going to do is stay at home." "How long?" "Twenty-one days," she said. "Now, do you share a toilet with anyone? Are you married?" "Im divorced." Why did he still find it so hard just to answer no? "Whats this about toilets?" "You need to flush two or three times to reduce the risk of contamination for anyone else." "I thought I wasnt supposed to see anyone." "Youre not. Im just telling you." The rhythmic clack of typing stopped for a moment. "Most importantly, take your temperature twice a day. If it spikes or if it reaches one hundred and four, call Emergency and explain that youre on the quarantine list." "Okay," he said, already beginning to feel warm. "Someone will call you back tomorrow," she said. "In the meantime, make a list of everyone youve seen, everywhere youve gone since the exposure." "I was supposed to go out tomorrow." Elliot swallowed against a mounting tightness in his throat. "See my sister and nephew." If he died, what would happen to Sarah and Noah? "I know its hard, but try not to worry too much." Her voice was saturated with resignation. She sounded like someone who was not used to delivering good news. "If you already have it, theres nothing you can do." Elliot asked then about the logistics of eating. "Is it better to order in or go grocery shopping? Or am I not allowed?" What was the exact calculation of risk relative to the need to eat? She quizzed him about the closest places to buy food and how crowded they tended to be. "Okay, try to make do for now. Well put you on the delivery list." A few hours later the doorbell rang while he was taking a nap. He jumped out of bed, heart racing, confused and hopeful until he saw the text message on his phone: Your supplies are at the door. "Here," said the health care worker. She was masked and gloved and held out two plastic bags at arms length. "Would you like to come in?" he asked as he took them from her. He watched as she recoiled and took a step backwards before adding, "Just a joke." There was a muffled laugh. "Good one." She was gone before Elliot could thank her. He noticed that she had pasted a quarantine notice on his door. He wondered how long it would be before his neighbours complained to the landlord. He called into work after lunch, and his supervisors brisk attitude was a comfort. "Ill talk to Bryce, but lets keep it quiet as long as you stay healthy. Id rather not spread it around, so to speak." "Just tell the guys Ive got something sexier, like mono." "Sexy, ha." The sergeant barked a laugh. "No wonder youre still single, Howe." "Hey, its the kissing disease, isnt it?" Elliot felt the strong urge to go for a drive, to speed as far away as possible from his present circumstances, but instead he spent the rest of the afternoon watching basketball, football, and even a world bowling championship while eating his way through two days worth of food, his tears flowing as freely as water from an open tap. When he stopped bothering to wipe his eyes, his cheeks dried with a salty film that made them feel papery and exposed. He heated up a can of baked beans and called Sarah to cancel, bracing himself for her disappointment. "We were really looking forward to seeing you. Noah especially. Youre always the main attraction around here." There was a small, plaintive note in her voice that he always found moving. Growing up, his kid sister had been a whirlwind of a girl who shouted down bullies, raced Lasers at sailing camp, and liked to face any fear by tackling it head-on. But ever since Sarah had shown up on his and Dorys doorstep, wan and fragile and fresh off a plane from Bolivia, she hadnt coped well with last-minute changes or any implication that Elliot would fail to keep his promises. Eight years after her return, she remained solitary and tentative, leading a life confined by routine and running even minor decisions past him, like which movie to watch or whether she should get a haircut. A watercolour version of who she used to be. Things had been better, though, since she had Noah. "Sorry," Elliot said, "Im sick." "Youre never sick," she said, worried now. "Do you need anything?" "No, its not that bad." He couldnt seem to form the words to tell her the truth. "Just a sore throat, but I figured better safe than sorry, these days." His voice started to catch, but he turned it into a cough. "Have you heard about this virus?" "Its practically all I can think about," said Sarah. In the background, Elliot could hear Noah tunelessly singing a song about brushing his teeth. "It reminds me of the stuff we used to talk about at Living Tree. You now, plagues, wars. End times." Living Tree was what she had left behind in Bolivia, a communal farm run by a quasi-religious group of the same name. Though Living Tree purported to believe in harmony and radical equality, the reality turned out to be closer to an ascetic sort of doomsday cult, run by leaders who didnt seem to have a problem with personal enrichment. Sarah had mostly looked after the children until she became disillusioned enough to return home. "Actually, I started a new rug last night." Making rag rugs was her particular outlet for anxiety. They used to make them on the farm--apparently to sell to tourists, though Elliot suspected it was really to keep the unhappy young people distracted with some kind of busywork. "Perfect. I have a tiny strip of bare floor between the red one and the blue one." Sarah gave a little chuckle: a mere acknowledgement that laughter was called for. "Youre sure youre okay?" "I hope so," he said. To let Sarah know about his exposure would be to commit it to the record, to confess his own mortality in a way he feared would destabilize them both. "Can I talk to Noah?" "Yeah, here he is. Can you keep him going for a while? I need to drain this pasta." Elliot said hi to Noah and listened to his nephews meandering monologue about the things that mattered to him--the funny joke that a boy named Deshawn had told at daycare and an account of the goings-on of some cartoon fox on television. And even as he struggled to follow along, it occurred to Elliot that if he had to leave the world, there was nothing he would miss more than this: Noahs lisped conversation, with Sarahs loving annotations piping up in the background. Details ISBN0771072597 Author Saleema Nawaz Short Title Songs for the End of the World Pages 440 Language English Year 2021 ISBN-10 0771072597 ISBN-13 9780771072598 Format Paperback Publication Date 2021-08-24 Subtitle A Novel Country of Publication Canada Publisher McClelland & Stewart Inc. Imprint McClelland & Stewart Inc. Place of Publication Toronto Illustrations CHARACTER MAP ON PRELIM Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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