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Time in literature

Our own ending

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"Go for it now.

The future is promised to no one"

- Wayne Dyer.

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Our time ending

Most people believe that our time does not end when we die here on earth and, as there is no telling if there is something in the great beyond, we will discuss only about the ending of time as we know it, here on Earth.

I want to talk about the last breath in people, the last time they say "I love you" to someone important, the last time they do the things they love. Because we will all go through these moments and we probably won't know to appreciate them enough.

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THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END

by Adam Silvera

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The author

  • Born in the USA - June 7, 1990
  • Is an American author of young adult fiction novels, known for his bestselling novels They Both Die at the End and Infinity Son (History is all you left me, What if it’s us - the last one co-written with Becky Albertalli)
  • Silvera started writing when he was around 10 or 11, initially working on fan fiction.
  • Silvera has worked as a barista, bookseller, and reviewer for Shelf Awareness before becoming a published writer.
  • Most of Adam Silvera’s works have been adapted into films and series.

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They Both Die at the End

  • A young adult, science fiction novel published in 2017.
  • Set in a dystopian alternate version of New York City in September 2017, the book follows two teenagers, Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio, who both have been notified by Death-Cast that they will die by the end of the day.
  • Death-Cast, the defining feature of Silvera’s dystopia, is a company that predicts citizens’ deaths and notifies them when they have 24 hours left to live.
  • In the world of the novel, Death-Cast notifies citizens on the day they will die. A person’s final day alive is referred to as their End Day, and people experiencing their End Day are called “Deckers.”

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They Both Die at the End

  • Society is different due to the existence of the Decker population: There are blogs that follow Deckers on their End Days, bars that serve Deckers looking to party before they die, and an app called Last Friend that matches Deckers with another person so they do not have to spend their final day alone.
  • The book focuses on the End Day shared by two Decker teenagers, Mateo and Rufus, who meet through Last Friend.

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What would you do if you knew today was your End Day?

https://padlet.com/mariacosminnaciurariu/Bookmarks

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Story

  • Mateo joins the app Last Friend, which pairs Deckers with other individuals (either Deckers or non-Deckers) who are looking for companionship on their End Day.
  • Through Last Friend, Mateo meets Rufus, another Decker who got the call from Death-Cast, while he was in the middle of beating up Patrick “Peck” Gavin, the current boyfriend of Rufus’ ex-girlfriend, Aimee Dubois.
  • After the assault on Peck, Rufus is on the run from the police and cannot spend his End Day with his best friends, Tagoe Hayes and Malcolm Anthony.

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Story

  • Rufus & Mateo visit Mateo’s father in the hospital.
  • Rufus & Mateo visit a Make-A-Moment virtual reality station to go skydiving.
  • Rufus & Mateo visit Mateo’s mother in Evergreens Cemetery, where Mateo sees that, alongside his mother’s grave, there is another grave being dug for Mateo. Mateo kneels beside his mother’s tombstone and tells her that he will be joining her soon.
  • Rufus & Mateo, on the way to the World Travel Arena, stop at a pier along the Hudson River, where Rufus contemplates the deaths of his parents and sister.

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Story

  • Mateo & Rufus meet up with Lidia again at the World Travel Arena, where the group selects the virtual reality experience to tour the world in 80 minutes: Australia, Iraq, Colombia, Egypt, China, and Puerto Rico, Mateo’s family’s country of origin.
  • Rufus & Lidia head to Clint’s Graveyard, a club for Deckers, where Rufus posts a picture from the bar
  • Peck, who wants revenge after Rufus assaulted him, sees the picture and heads to Clint’s Graveyard with a loaded gun.
  • Tagoe, Malcolm, and Aimee arrive at Clint’s Graveyard to say their final goodbyes to Rufus
  • Peck goes to shoot Rufus, but commotion ensues and Mateo and Rufus manage to flee the club.

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Story

  • Mateo and Rufus retreat to Mateo’s apartment, where they lie in bed and profess their love for one another—both wish they had met each other sooner
  • Mateo goes to make tea but the apartment erupts into flames and he is killed instantly
  • Rufus wakes up moments later, dazed in the smoke and devastated by Mateo’s death
  • The novel ends with Rufus putting on headphones so he can listen to a recording of Mateo’s voice as he crosses the street without checking for cars first.

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Why this book

  • The novel deals with themes of mortality and the inevitability of death, the importance of friendship, and the experiences of LGBT teens of color.
  • The novel is a New York Times bestseller, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Kirkus Best Book of the Year, and Booklist Editors’ Choice of 2017, among other praise.
  • This is a story about on the importance of the last moments, but also on the fact that they are overrated. Of course, goodbyes are important but they wouldn't be so significant if we did not have memories with those people.

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Bibliography

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Thank you for your attention