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Terry Farish

Either the Beginning or the End of the World Hardcover – October 1, 2015

by Terry Farish (Author)

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For sixteen years, it's been just Sofie and her father, living on the New Hampshire coast. Her Cambodian immigrant mother has floated in and out of her life, leaving Sofie with a fierce bitterness toward her and a longing she wishes she could outgrow.

Then she meets Luke, an army medic back from Afghanistan, and the pull between them is as strong as the current of the rushing Piscataqua River. But Luke is still plagued by the trauma of war, as if he's lost with the ghosts in his past. Sofie's dad orders her to stay away; it may be the first time she has ever disobeyed him.

When Sofie is forced to stay with her mother and grandmother while her dad's away, she is confronted with their memories of the ruthless Khmer Rouge, a war-torn countryside, and deeds of heartbreaking human devotion.

As Sofie and Luke navigate a forbidden landscape, they discover they both have their secrets, their scars, their wars. Together, they'll discover what extraordinary acts love can demand.

Print length

200 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Carolrhoda Lab ®
Publication date

October 1, 2015
Grade level

8 - 12
Reading age

13 - 18 years
Dimensions

5.9 x 0.9 x 9.1 inches
ISBN-10

9781467774833
ISBN-13

978-1467774833
Lexile measure

HL560L
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Almost 17-year-old Sofie lives with her fisherman father and dog on the rugged and unforgiving Pisqataqua River in New Hampshire. For as long as she can remember, it's been just the two of them, making ends meet the best they can. An early closure of the shrimping season forces her father down south to the Chincoteague, but not before he unequivocally warns Sofie not to see Luke, a volatile deckhand returned from duty as a medic in Afghanistan. With her father gone, her long-absent mother and grandmother move in to take his place. She grudgingly begins to learn more about their life in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, and though she doesn't want their history for her own, she slowly realizes that she may not have a choice. Meanwhile, she finds herself quickly consumed by the pull of Luke. Poetic, spare, and sometimes near stream of consciousness, Farish's writing is haunting. She paints broad strokes and excels at setting a tone that pervades every word and action. The sexual tension between Sofie and Luke is palpable. Beautifully written and briskly paced, the sparse prose evokes the rugged, bleak landscape, the simplicity of Sofie's former life with her Dad, and the immediate, unspoken union between her and Luke. VERDICT An excellent choice for readers seeking a less than neatly packaged love story or a glimpse into the complicated lineage of war-torn areas.—Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Montclair, NJ

Review

"Farish's writing is haunting. . . . An excellent choice for readers seeking a less than neatly packaged love story or a glimpse into the complicated lineage of war-torn areas." --Starred Review, School Library Journal

"Terry Farish's stories about refugees and immigrants have been informed by her extensive work with the Red Cross in Vietnam, and you can feel that raw, authentic care given to her characters in Either the Beginning or the End of the World. It's a love story, but it's also a story of generations of a family, each affected by war and loss in their own ways." -- Bustle.com

"Either the Beginning or the End of the World is a beautiful, hopeful book."--The Pirate Tree: Social Justice and Children's Literature

"A bittersweet love story between a fisherman's teenage daughter and a soldier returned from Afghanistan. . . . With evocative language and imagery, and a wandering, internal narrative, this quiet novel examines the intersections of love and war in a family's history." --Booklist

"This story is about a search for emotional and cultural identity and, equally, about the effects of war and trauma . . . but, as the fitting title suggests, what appears to be an ending (of a life, of a relationship) could, from another perspective, be the start of something hopeful." --The Horn Book Magazine

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1467774839
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Carolrhoda Lab ® (October 1, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 200 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781467774833
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1467774833
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 18 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL560L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.58 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.9 x 0.9 x 9.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,210,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #358 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Emigration & Immigration
- #682 in Teen & Young Adult Multigenerational Family Fiction
- #1,662 in Teen & Young Adult Parents Fiction

Customer Reviews:
6 ratings

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Terry Farish

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TERRY FARISH writes picture books, novels, and creative nonfiction. Her most recent books are a series of picture books about a boy named Joseph written in collaboration with OD Bonny and artist Ken Daley. Their Joseph books have been featured at The Newcomer Kitchen where refugee cooks share their traditional food ( A FEAST FOR JOSEPH), in bike shops across the country (JOSEPH'S BIG RIDE), on public radio, and the NY Times. Her novel is verse, THE GOOD BRAIDER is set in South Sudan and Portland, Maine. It was selected as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and An Outstanding Book for the Lifelong Learner. Her picture book THE CAT WHO LIKED POTATO SOUP, illustrated by Barry Root was a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Winner. She lives in Maine.

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Top reviews from the United States

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Sharon

A gem, set against the background of a fishing community in Portsmouth, NH

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

I've been a fan of Terry Farish's writing ever since I read Flower Shadows way back in 1992. Whether she's writing about a young woman volunteering with the Red Cross in Vietnam (Flower Shadows), a Cambodian refugee in Lowell, Massachusetts (If the Tiger), or a Sudanese teenager trying to find her way in Portland, Maine (The Good Braider), Farish captures the innocence, the struggle, and the hope of the young. In Either the Beginning or the End of the World, her voice for Sofie, who is half Cambodian and half American, is pitch-perfect. Sofie's relationship with Luke, a medic returned from Afghanistan and fighting PTSD, is tender, not overly sexualized. Farish shows how they care for one another and grow through that caring. She connects the traumas of Cambodia and of Afghanistan and to move Luke and Sofie to understanding and healing.

Helpful

Teen Reads

An interesting, satisfying read and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a sad story or a book to cuddle with.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 6, 2015

Sixteen-year-old Sofie has both Scottish and Cambodian blood in her, but her Cambodian mother has never been a part of her family. Sofie has always lived with her father, but this spring, he has to leave to catch more fish and keep his business running. What will happen to Sofie when she’s forced to live with a mother and grandmother whose thoughts still circle around their past in Cambodia, when the Khmer Rouge were torturing them? What will happen when she meets yet another “ghost” and begins to fall deeply in love with him, even if her parents forbid it?

In Terry Farish’s seventh book EITHER THE BEGINNING OR THE END OF THE WORLD, readers follow the story of a broken family trying to slowly mend itself together and the beginnings of a forbidden love. The story sends so many deep messages while also teaching readers about things that happened to Cambodians when the Khmer Rouges were around. I found that this story reminded me a lot of Taylor Swift’s song “Mine”; both Sofie and Luke, the man that she falls in love with, seem hesitant about their feelings because of their pasts, but really enjoy one another’s presence and try to ignore all future troubles when they’re together.

I found that the pacing of EITHER THE BEGINNING OR THE END OF THE WORLD worked really well. Although it’s a mere 190 pages, Farish sped up specific parts of the plot and slowed down the more important parts. Because of this technique, I was able to receive a lot of the messages she was trying to send through the text.

This novel required a lot of analyzing, something I don’t really enjoy when reading for pleasure, but it was so beautifully written that I honestly didn’t mind it. Farish includes a lot of imagery in her writing and seems to think deeply about which words are used to convey specific feelings and ideas.

I also really enjoyed the character development that occurred throughout the plot. Sofie in particular has quite the transformation; we watch as she changes from someone who does what she likes to someone who must cope with what she has.

Overall, I thought EITHER THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE WORLD was an interesting, satisfying read and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a sad story or a book to cuddle with. It seems to be a perfect story to read during the fall/winter season, so its release date is perfectly timed.

Reviewed by Alyssa L.

Helpful

Mensa for Kids

and they fall into an abnormal sort of love. However

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 30, 2015

Either The Beginning or The End of The World by Terry Farish is a fairly short, fictional novel about the changing life of a teenaged girl. Seventeen-year-old Sophie Grear is the daughter of a traditional, American fisherman and a cultural, Cambodian woman. However, Sophie has lived the bulk of her life on the Northeast Coast with only her beloved father. But one icy morning, Sophie meets a young, disturbed veteran named Luke, and they fall into an abnormal sort of love. However, Sophie’s father absolutely forbids the relationship. To make matters worse, Sophie learns that her dad will be traveling south to fish for the winter, leaving her in the care of her mother and grandmother. In possibly the strangest winter of her life, Sophie Grear is yanked out of her comfort zone and into a world of unfamiliar emotions—anger at her father, love for Luke, nostalgia for the past. How will Sophie reestablish herself in this new world? What truths will she learn about life along the way?
Either The Beginning or The End of The World is wonderful in many ways. In the book, there are numerous well-developed, unique characters. Throughout the novel, the reader learns about these characters’ unusual, interesting lifestyles. Similarly, the novel is rich in themes. It is built on the principles that love is not a choice and that change can be beneficial. These characterizations and themes create a novel that is both educational and entertaining.
Farish's novel is extremely unique. It is written in an almost poetic style, with hardly any structure, such as complete sentences and full paragraphs, and much figurative language. Although this makes the book a more difficult read, it also gives the narrative a more philosophical tone. The novel deeply examines the life of a seventeen-year-old; therefore, it will mostly interest teenagers with a penchant for philosophy, but I would encourage any teen to explore its pages; you may be surprised at what you find.
review by Isabella T., age 14, Memphis Mensa

Helpful