Ginny Frost
Denton Little’s
Deathdate and Denton Little’s Still Not Dead by Lance Rubin
fulfilled the category “A Duology” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge.
Yes, again, I read two different duologies. I wanted to save you some zombie
posts.
This title was a surprise
find. I grabbed it for the “Book about the Afterlife” category. But it didn’t
fit because… Spoiler!! Denton is alive for the entire book. The story is about
death, not the afterlife.
In Denton’s
universe, science has discovered how to calculate your deathdate. (There’s a
little magic in there too, but who’s counting?) Denton Little has known since
he was five he would die at seventeen, on prom night. His best friend is
scheduled to die a few weeks after. The story begins just short of Denton’s
deathdate, and the wild adventure begins with a weird rash.
The author uses dark
humor to lighten the topic of dead teenagers. One would think a book about kids
dying would be morbid and emo. This tale is hilarious. The array of kookie
characters brings the humor. Basically, it’s the cast of Spiderman.
Denton is Peter—funny, light-hearted. His best friend Paolo is Ned—nerdy, cute,
and down-to-earth. They split MJ into two female characters, Veronica and a
childhood friend. They were totally MJ, the way they interacted, spoke,
everything. I loved it.
After reading and
enjoying the story, I discovered it wasn’t about the afterlife, but there was a
sequel. So I grabbed the audiobook read by the author. He did a great job, by
the way. The second book had a complete and satisfying ending. I didn’t think
there would be another novel. So, I’m calling it a duology.
The novel threw
out some interesting topics for discussion. Is it better to know when you will
die? How would it be to attend your own funeral the day before you passed? In
the story, the science of how someone dies is unknown or even the exact hour. To
know the date and just live your life until then? The author included counselors
to deal with the drama, but mostly the book played with the humor.
The main topic of
Book Two centered on science fiddling with our lives. I’m a believer in science,
but man, sometimes you wonder if it makes the world better or not. (Hubby and I
argue over self-driving cars all the time. It scares me to death. So, a no from
me!) Do people have the right not to know their deathdate? To live without
that ax hanging over them? Or to know the exact date and organize their life
for the end? I don’t know the answer, but I’ve been thinking about it since I
read this charming book.
I give Denton
Little’s Deathdate and Denton Little’s Still Not Dead by Lance Rubin
Five Yellow Clunkers. (Watch out!)