Book Spotlight: The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold
★ “Just the right amount of action, balancing the introspective scenes, a blossoming queer romance, and a well-executed slow doomsday reveal . . . A beautifully realized addition to the genre.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ “[A] poignant sapphic debut dystopia turns a suburban New Jersey bookstore into a haven for survival and romance in a world of ‘death, and rot, and memories.’” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“[Braun-Arnold] manages to create a sweet romance amid the chaos of the climate impacted world, and the conversations in flashbacks about climate and how close humans are to the “point of no return” will invoke a familiar anxiety.” —Booklist
“A solid standalone dystopian.” —School Library Journal
The Last Bookstore on Earth By Lily Braun-Arnold
Two teen girls fall in love and fight for survival in an abandoned bookstore weeks before another cataclysmic storm threatens to bring about the end of the world in this unforgettable YA debut. Perfect for fans of Station Eleven and The Last of Us.
The world is about to end. Again.
Ever since the first Storm wreaked havoc on civilization as we know it, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery has been holed up in an abandoned bookstore in suburban New Jersey where she used to work, trading books for supplies with the few remaining survivors. It’s the one place left that feels safe to her.
Until she learns that another earth-shattering Storm is coming . . . and everything changes.
Enter Maeve, a prickly and potentially dangerous out-of-towner who breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter one night. Though the two girls are immediately at odds, Maeve has what Liz needs—the skills to repair the dilapidated store before the next climate disaster strikes—and Liz reluctantly agrees to let her stay.
As the girls grow closer and undeniable feelings spring up between them, they realize that they face greater threats than the impending Storm. And when Maeve’s secrets and Liz’s inner demons come back to haunt them both, they find themselves fighting for their lives as their world crumbles around them.
“A thoroughly original, intimate, and sometimes harrowing meditation on survival, forgiveness, and learning how to love again at the almost end of the world.”—Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author
This is your YA debut. What inspired you to write a story for young readers?
I am a young reader! When I was writing The Last Bookstore on Earth, I was seventeen and couldn’t imagine writing a novel for adults because I didn’t consider myself one yet. And I wanted to write something that reflected the way I was feeling about the future and the world around me as a teenager. As a young adult, it made the most sense for me to write a story for other young adults.
You are an experienced bookseller. In what ways did your work at Watchung Booksellers influence this story?
This book wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t worked at Watchung Booksellers. When I was in high school, the bookstore was a constant in my life. No matter what was going on, whether it be math finals or college decisions, I could always count on the bookstore and the people in it to cheer me up or calm me down. Liz’s bookstore functions the same way for her—despite what has happened to the world around her, she still can rely on her bookstore.
With the topic of climate change dominating headlines, The Last Bookstore on Earth is as much environmental suspense as it is contemporary apocalypse. What message do you hope readers will take from the story?
I hope that The Last Bookstore on Earth will help to shift the sense of numbness that some people feel in relation to climate change. It’s hard to grapple with the large scope of the effects of the climate crisis and because of this, it sometimes feels as though the only option we have is to pretend that it doesn’t exist. Hopefully The Last Bookstore on Earth will remind readers of what’s at stake: the destruction that climate change can cause—and has caused.
Where would we find you at the end of the world?
At home! Unlike Liz, I don’t think I’d be able to leave my house. I need to be near my bookshelves, my Unbeatable Squirrel Girl collection, and my various musical instruments. I’m a highly sentimental person, so I don’t think I’d be able to leave that all behind. Hopefully, I’d be able to turn it into something self-sustaining . . . although I might have to rip up my dad’s prized garden in order to grow some food!
Download the full Q&A with Lily Braun-Arnold, author of The Last Bookstore on Earth.
Download the free discussion guide for The Last Bookstore on Earth!
Featuring discussion questions and extension activities, this is the perfect way to get the conversation flowing.
