THE END OF EVERYTHING

Emily Bauer delivers a pitch-perfect performance as Lizzie, a 13-year-old girl whose best friend disappears. As Lizzie takes on the responsibility for finding Evie and saving her family from their grief, she fluctuates between wild fantasies and the dark reality of lost innocence. Since nearly everyone around her displays varying levels of misconduct, it’s up to Lizzie to find her own moral center and reconcile the terrible events she has become a part of. While the book is insightful and sensitively written, the subject matter can be difficult to listen to. The authenticity of Bauer’s whimsical, girlish narration is both compelling and disturbing as Lizzie reveals her growing empathy for the man who has taken her friend and uncovers secrets no child should know. A.M.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]