The End of Always by Rebecca Phillips
CBC Books | Posted: March 21, 2024 6:58 AM | Last Updated: March 21
A YA novel about a teenage girl living in a survivalist community
College prep or prepping for the end of the world?
Ever since Isobel's mom died, her dad won't stop preparing for the rest of the world to end—attending doomsday survivalist meetings, packing bug-out bags, and drawing up plans for a secret backyard bunker. He's methodically stacked and stored countless packs of batteries and bottles of water in the basement. And thirty-six cans of tomato soup.
But Isobel has no interest in it. She has enough to deal with between finishing high school and trying to shield her little sister April from their dad's increasing paranoia. She's managing to cope—until their dad decides to move them all to Endurance Ranch, a survivalist community in the middle of nowhere. When Isobel meets Dane, the son of a hardcore prepper couple, she doesn't feel as isolated at the ranch as she first thought. But she wants to be in control of her future. She realizes it's going to be up to her to save her sister—and herself—from a life underground. (From Second Story Press)
But Isobel has no interest in it. She has enough to deal with between finishing high school and trying to shield her little sister April from their dad's increasing paranoia. She's managing to cope—until their dad decides to move them all to Endurance Ranch, a survivalist community in the middle of nowhere. When Isobel meets Dane, the son of a hardcore prepper couple, she doesn't feel as isolated at the ranch as she first thought. But she wants to be in control of her future. She realizes it's going to be up to her to save her sister—and herself—from a life underground. (From Second Story Press)
Rebecca Phillips is a Nova Scotian writer and copyeditor. Her other novels include Faking Perfect, Any Other Girl and The Girl You Thought I Was.