I received an arc of Temi Oh’s Not With A Bang, which released on Tuesday of this week. Normally I try to get my arc reviews out before the book comes out, but life being what it is, we’re here now.

I promise, this book is worth the wait.

Not With A Bang is about the Minton family. They seem to be a fairly typical family, though nothing like any family I’ve ever met. The main character, Briar, is the second oldest of four daughters. She dislikes her family, for all the typical reasons. Her mom seems to like her the least. Her dad lost his job and is spiraling. Her oldest sister is getting married to a very well-off man. Basically, everyone is wrapped up in their own personal dramas.

Then, the Event happens.

The family is separated in three locations. They’re all trying to survive. They’re all trying to get home.

They’re all trying to find each other.

This book had me in tears. So let’s break it down today and talk about why it works.

The first thing I loved about this book is that it’s very British. And it really highlighted why America kind of sucks right now. Marcus, the father of the family, lost his job as a police officer for something that no American cop would do today. He was publicly shamed and felt bad for his actions.

What a world!

I was also really impressed with the Event. The big, world-ending thing. It was unique, and not at all what I was expecting. It also seemed like something fairly simple, until you consider the implications.

I won’t ruin it for you, because it was a terrific surprise. I was, at first, sure that this couldn’t be The Event. Until I really thought about it.

Honestly, that can be said of the whole book. Because while I did guess some things, most of what happened I was just not expecting. At no point did I know where this story was going. It was just one rather shocking event after another.

And I think the real reason this is true is that all of the characters acted like, well, humans.

I think sometimes in the sci-fi genre, we writers write the world as we want it to be. We write people who are brave, passionate, selfless. We write the people we wish we knew. The people we wish we were.

The Mintons are not those people. They’re selfish. They’re messy. One parent is having an affair. One is losing their mind. One character has an incredibly toxic relationship with their best friend.

And yet, when it comes time, each Minton rises to the occasion. They do incredible, selfless, messy, and magical things. Things that I think we all hope that we could rise to.

All in all, I only have one real complaint. And this might just be a personal issue for me. The book wasn’t funny.

And no, I don’t expect a messy and beautiful family story at the end of the world to be a laugh riot. But there aren’t any funny moments. There aren’t any quick one-liners.

Comedy adds levity to the darkest times. There’s a reason why gallows humor is popular. It’s a coping mechanism. A good sense of humor can brighten even our darkest days.

But maybe that was the point. Maybe there isn’t an escape from this end of the world. Maybe we’re just meant to feel the weight.

Not With A Bang is out now. I highly suggest giving it a read. It’s scary, touching, and honest. I loved it, and I think you will too.

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