2.5 stars

A modern version of 1984, set in a post-pandemic future where all works of fiction are now illegal and the government is keeping a very close watch on former authors.

In this the author has chosen an unusual writing style of stopping the end of each chapter half way through a word or sentence. As an audio listener it absolutely was not clear that this was a deliberate decision as opposed to an error with the file until I looked up other reviews.

End of Story follows Fern, a lonely widow who was forced to move house and change her name after fiction was outlawed. She works as a cleaner for the NHS and is regularly visited by two government officials to check she's complying with the new laws.

This main thread is really interesting, but there is also a huge emphasis put onto her inability to have children, coupled becoming a member of a secret group who tell bedtime stories to children over the phone. The twist around the boy she connects with most felt very obvious from the beginning and so I was very impatient with this part of the story, feeling that it kept me away from the main narrative. A few times I wanted to dnf for these large sections being so uneventful.

However the second part was more interesting, with Fern taken to one of the government re-education centres so fearfully spoken of in the first part. Here is the main twist which takes a while to play out so whilst it initially surprised me, by the time the reveal was fully laid bare I had caught on.

Considering the story is told as a series of journal entries by an author I felt the writing was a bit lacking in places, very tell not show.

Also I really didn't like how the disabled character is treated or spoken about.

Overall a mixed experience which could do with being reduced down in length to give more pace to the main events.

Wow! What a story! This book is broken into different parts, I don’t want to give anything away, because a plot reveal will ruin the whole book. However, I can say the style is unique. The first part is made up of snippets, partly formed sentences, bits of information, all adding together to really make you think. The last parts will blow your mind- not at all what I was expecting. It’s made of whole chunks of stories, weaving all the previous snippets together.
Quite moving and insightful. Just totally unique.
Loved it, especially as an audio book as the narrator was very entertain.

*Many thanks to Louise Swanson, Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
The idea of barring books, especially novels, popular in dystopian fiction and not only, is the background for this thriller and is executed quite intelligently. The novel, with the female protagonist defying the illegality of books and trying to bring them particularly to children kept me invested and unfortunately (or fortunately for a reader) I was unable to predict the finale.

As usual I will not be retelling the story here as I believe the blurb writers do a better job.
This is a really interesting with an unusual plot to the book. I listened to the audio version which was really well narrated. I would class it as science fiction which is the ones first reaction as you read but in fact it is far more with a real emotional tug. The characters are well developed and described. I think it would be an excellent choice for book groups.

Me at the start of this book: oh this is a cool dystopian concept critically evaluating the place of literature and fiction in the world through an exaggerated lens.
Me after reading the book: BRING THE TISSUES!

'If you write a story well enough, it is true'

This was truly excellent. A series of diary entries, we get into the head of our narrator, Fern. The year is 2035, fiction has been outlawed after a series of controversial novels caused public reaction against the government, and our narrator is an author who is kept tabs on by the government to prevent her from writing anything else. The only books allowed in circulation are 'non-fiction', and the world is truly authoritarian in a truly dystopian way. When she is pulled into an underground movement to read bedtime stories to young children in secret, she speaks to a young boy called Hunter - a boy who she has envisioned before ever meeting or hearing his voice. It doesn't take long however before you realise something isn't making sense in the story ....

I listened to this in audiobook format, and actually think this is the ideal format to read it in [though I am sure it is good in paper/digital] - I really felt connected to the narrator and I felt like she WAS Fern, so the story hit me in the gut in a way I really wasn't expecting. The Yorkshire accent also hit home a lot more because she felt like someone I could have known. I do think the narrator's delivery contributed towards what was the biggest cry session I have had while reading a book (did it reach me at an already emotional time - yes ... did it impact me immensely? Also yes). I did work out parts of what I thought was going to happen correctly, but I absolutely did NOT get the full picture ... heartbreaking and beautiful portrayal of themes I can't describe without spoiling the book.

</i>I was provided with a complimentary copy of this audiobook courtesy of Hodder & Stoughton Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily</i>

Fern is explaining us how one day she went from awarded author to cleaning lady.
The government decided to bann all fictions 5 years ago : no fictional books, movies, series...
5 years in which Fern had to reorganise her life completely. She can't help herself though... she writes her life in a notepad.. She keeps on living her boring life, until one of her author friend contacts her : there is a secret team reading stories to kids on the phone. So Fern joins...

As we read on we start to realise some of the details dont add up, but can't pin point what the issue is.
If you like an unreliable narrator, then read this book!
The direction the book went made me bump the rating down, but because of the theme it was tackling. Not that it did it badly, mainly cause those are not my preferred themes.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

The blurb of this really had me intrigued. It’s definitely one you want to start without knowing any more than the blurb will tell you. This had me guessing and I didn’t work out the plot twist. I enjoyed all of the characters, especially Hunter and the tea man. I recommend this to everyone who enjoys this genre. I’ll be looking out for more by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc.

In the near future fiction, in any format, is banned. Books, writing and TV are all banned. Fern Dostoy, a once famous author, now works as a hospital cleaner and is regularly visited by government officials to ensure she isn't writing. Through journal entries Fern chronicles joining an underground organisation that runs a telephone hotline reading bedtime stories to children. As Fern becomes more involved the risk of being discovered and punished becomes greater.

This is a fantastic addition to the genre of dystopian fiction. Author Louise Swanson has set it just near enough in the future to make many of the technological advances seem reasonable and sit easily alongside the everyday objects we have now. We see that there is a fine line between advanced technology making our lives easier and the ability for organisations to track our every movement, internet search and communication.

Even more disturbing is the banning of books. When fiction holds a light to some questionable practises by government organisations it is quickly banned. Writers are relocated, publishers closed down and only state run bookshops selling approved non-fiction exist. The idea of censorship is appalling, a means of controlling information and the population.

End Of Story isn't just about how the restrictions are a form of oppression, it's also about how the lack of story-telling has an impact on children. A lack of stories inhibits creativity and imagination and this is having a negative impact on the mental health of children.

When Fern learns of an organisation that reads stories to children you feel rebellious and joyful, knowing that the human spirit, the thirst for fiction, cannot be quashed. There is also the growing sense of fear as through journal entries we learn not only of the visits by officials who check up on authors but also of the punishments that are carried out for those people who break the law.

Slowly, as I became more and more engrossed by the story, I started to piece things together and I had an inkling of where the story was heading. I only guessed a fraction of what was happening, Louise Swanson has produced a work of fiction that kept me engrossed, involved, terrified and surprised. My only criticism is that I wish I'd read this rather than listened to the audiobook as I kept wanting to go back and check parts of the story.

I requested this by cover alone & am not normally a fan of story’s set in the future but I really enjoyed this & it was totally different to what I normally read/listen to. Would highly recommend this.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley, from whom I received a free Netgalley Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A serviceable dystopia premise that's a bit silly but works with personal and political levels, at least for the first two-thirds of the story. The sense of loss and fear the narrator feels is well-conveyed.

One annoying thing about listening as audiobook is that chapters kept cutting off part way through final words or sentences. At first I couldn't tell if it was the audio itself, or the Netgalley app which I'd never used before, or if indeed it was part of the story, which is written as a diary and therefore meant to indicate the diarist stopped midway through. Turns out it was the latter.

The slow-burn psychological element and unreliability of a first-person narrator was quite cleverly laid out.

Once the twist is revealed the denouement is far too long and repetitive. The type of narrative handholding that assumes readers are a bit stupid.

Decent dystopian premise, but dystopia fatigue is real, and I should be picking happier reads generally. An average entry to the genre.

This is a difficult book for me to review without massive spoilers so I'll try to summarise then call out where spoilers are ahead.

Let's start with the narration because that is easy - it's brilliant from start to finish, really brought the characters to life and added an extra vividness to the story.

Now it gets harder...

I LOVED the first 60% ish of the book, I was taking the long route in the car and taking the dog on longer walks just to get more listening time. An older, female protagonist, a world that was both vivid and terrifying. I wanted to shout about it and push it into everyone's hands, it was 100% book of the year.

And then, just like that, it...wasn't any of those things. . Literally with the turn of a page it became pedestrian, ordinary and dull.


***Spoilers***

As soon as the "real world" kicked in I felt cheated, and even now, a few days later I still feel that way, I was cheated out of a story that I was fully immersed in by a version of "and then I woke up and it was all a dream" ,

Honestly, I couldn't give a monkeys about the real world bit of the book, I want the world where there is a fiction ban and a growing revolution against it, I want that story and I want that story to be finished properly.

I'm struggling to know who to recommend this to - I think the majority of SFF readers will be as hacked off with the "twist" and ending as I am and I'm not sure domestic thriller fans will have the patience to get through the SFF part to the part that is written for them.

This is one future I never want to see happen, just the thought of it alone is a very bleak, unbearably sad way of life. The complete and utter ban on everything fictional. A life with no books, not even children’s books.

All are banned, with all books from before burnt to ashes, destroyed, never to be seen or read ever again.

Most of us are lucky enough to have been read to as a child, building inside us a love of stories and books that have stayed with us through to adulthood.

My Nan encouraged my love of books, reading to me on every weekend visit and even though I was young, I still remember the complete joy I would get from just sitting on her lap, or next to her at her kitchen table, listening to her tell me stories and it is a memory I will always treasure. That, and as I got older I would sneak into the living room and read the books on her shelf that I wasn’t deemed old enough for, such as James Herbert, which started my love of horror stories!
So to take that away from a child is criminal, let alone adults! Thank god this book is just fictional!

Just from reading part one of this book it had already fired me up! And I am pretty sure this book is going to hit plenty more than just me in the ‘feels’ department!

Ok, so now I have now finished all of the book after stopping at the end of part one to have my rant about a future with no fiction, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be the only one left feeling like that! And be warned, this book hits you with several powerful emotions on top of that one!

Is it to early in the year to put a book forward for ‘Book of the Year’? I have a really strong feeling this book will at the very least be a top contender! Described on Amazon as “The most original thriller you'll read this year with a twist you won't see coming”, they’ve certainly summed it up extremely well, because boy-oh-boy is the twist one you will never see coming but it will also blow you away.

It’s one of the best twists in a book I’ve truly and utterly been surprised by for a very long time!

End of Story is due to be published on the 23 Mar 2023 and it is available to preorder now from your local bookstore or from the link below

A huge thank you to the author Louise Swanson, publishers Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my digital and audio advance copy of this book.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton Audio, and the author, for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Fern, a former British literary award winning author, who now is in a sense a prisoner. Her current world in 2035 is a world where stories are banned in any form. No novels, no TV shows, movies not even bed time stories or stories being told by mouth. She is under strict surveilence and continously have to prove to the officials that she is no longer writing or doing anything else that is illegal. Slowly and steadiliy all the wildest plots in the fiction she created starts to come alive around her and she is faced with no way to escape her ultimate fate.

This book, this story had me on edge. The vibe being the mix of handmaid's tale and hunger games leading to a twist that I did not see coming. I am not going to lie, when I read the title line, I kind of was like, really? I am so going to guess the twist. Did I have a gut feeling before the reveal, yes? But did my guess do justice to the twist nop, not even close.

The prose was so simple, that I felt like I was just breezing through the story, though the unfinished sentences at the end of each chapter drove me crazy, even though the reason for it was explained. The premise of the story, the dark vibe was so creepy and absolutely heartbreaking, I cannot even explain it in words. How can I ever, ever live in a world without stories? Its literally the biggest nightmare of an intorvert bookworm. Woah! I think I will need some time to recover from this book.

TW: Incarceration, violence, loss, grief, isolation, mental health issues, anxiety, galaphobia, road accident, arson, physical assault

Atmospheric, moreish and unique

🧡 Virtually impossible to review this without spoilers*, but here goes. As a dystopia, it has an eerie, foreboding atmosphere that keeps me listening. This especially comes from the painting of a world that is a mere pixel away from being exactly the same as our own. Shivers.

💚 It’s always fun for fiction to offer up surprises and this clever tale does just that.

*My spoilers available as hidden features on Goodreads and Audiobooks Nest.
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SOUNDBITE

🎧 Wow - Sophie Bentinck’s smooth alto and understated delivery makes her an absolutely compelling narrator. Would I compare listening to her voice to eating Nutella directly from the tub? Perhaps, if I had ever done so (which of course I have never, no follow ups please).

🎧 This was an easy to follow, smooth production. And, at 12 hours or so, there’s plenty to get your teeth into.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for providing me with an ALC in return for an honest review.

I listened to the audio version of the book. The narrator is very good at expressing the emotions of the characters. This is an entertaining book, if quite dark, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I did shed some tears of joy at the end. This is a work of fiction that has some very dark moments, including some mutilation, of a dystopian future where all reading of fiction books has been banned. Yet in the book is a story with humour, and one of friendship and coming to terms with inconsolable grief. Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton Audio and NetGalley for audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

A very clever dystopian novel which definitely made you feel all the emotions!! We follow Fern living in England in 2035 in a world where fiction writing is illegal and story telling is banned. I loved the audiobook and it was
Well narrated. I did work out the twist but it was still excellently done and I love how all the loose ends were tied up

This book focuses on a reality that could be plausible where all fiction is banned, and the government takes more control. It is well written and structured, I would say it is aimed at readers older than myself but a very good read.

In regards to the audio I did find the way the chapters were ended were a bit abrupt in that sentences didn't seem to be finished.

Not one for me although I did really expect to enjoy it. My review is subjective though as we can’t all like the same things and it’s not that the book isn’t well written.

En un futuro tan cercano como el año 2035 la ficción escrita está prohibida en el Reino Unido. Un cambio muy radical, ya que condena al ostracismo a escritores, editoriales… un giro de 180 grados en la vida de Fern, la protagonistas de End of Story, una viuda de mediana edad que de ser ganadora de los premios más prestigiosos de novela pasa a ser una limpiadora anónima acosada por las fuerzas del orden, que no se fían de que haya dejado de escribir como es ley.


Estamos, por desgracia, muy acostumbrados a distopías, pero esta me llamaba especialmente la atención por que la víctima del poder era la ficción, algo sin lo que creo que sinceramente no podría vivir. ¿Toda la vida condenada a leer solo obras de no ficción? Para cualquier lector empedernido como yo, sería peor que la muerte. Y no quiero ni imaginar que sería para los escritores, aunque Louise Swanson lo va plasmando muy bien en este libro.

Desde el principio, hay algo que no me cuadraba en la narración de la historia, quizá el momento temporal o el escasísimo esfuerzo que había tenido que llevar a cabo el gobierno de las Islas para imponer un modelo que supondría la ruina económica de un tejido empresarial muy poderoso. Además, algunos pequeños detalles de la historia no terminaban de encajar. Creo que la autora lo ha hecho ex profeso para hacernos reflexionar sobre estas incongruencias, que serán la puerta de entrada a los verdaderos secretos del libro. Hay que decir que la narración de Sophie Bentinck se adapta como un guante a esa sensación opresiva y claustrofóbica que la autora quería transmitirnos.

Para la resolución de la trama, la autora decide desencadenar una espiral descendente de barbaridades que desestabilizan el sentido común del lector, ya que se enfrenta a políticas de sanidad inaceptables que progresan sin problemas por la legislación. Pero no hay más que mirar a nuestro alrededor para ver que los hechos disparatados a los que hace referencia la autora pueden venir derivados perfectamente de lo que ya está ocurriendo con el NHS, llevado al extremo. Hay un fuerte componente reivindicativo en el libro, sobre todo en materia social.

No quiero entrar más en detalle porque parte de la gracia del libro es ir descubriendo por uno mismo hacia donde nos lleva la narración, pero creo que End of Story es un libro recomendable por su capacidad para inducir la paranoia con los más nimios detalles.

End of story by Louise Swanson was a thought provoking novel set in 2035 where all fiction has been banned by the government, and as an author Fern Dostoy struggles so she secretly & illegally keeps a journal jotting down her thoughts and feelings and trying to keep it hidden from the mysterious men who check up on her. But what i liked about this novel is just when you think you have got the story line it totally flips and very cleverly changes to something very different.
I listened to the audiobook & Sophie Bentinck did a great job at keeping the pace of the story interesting.