End of Story: The addictive, unputdownable thriller with a twist that will blow your mind

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I have read Louise Swanson when she has written as Louise Beech and I believe this to be the first Swanson novel of hers. It’s quite different in style to her usual books and is more dystopian in feel, which isn’t usually my style but I loved this one. The writing is simple and flows so well. The concept has been done before (the banning of books) but I liked that this one felt like a normal day and time yet things are quite different. People are overtly watched and monitored and each week they hold a book amnesty for any found fiction to be handed in, only non-fiction is allowed. If you tell a story well enough, it’s true.” – Fern’s catchphrase in the book that works on so many levels despite its obvious simplicity. Now her weekly spiky doorstop meetings with the Tea Man are some of her only interactions with other people. Until she becomes involved with an underground group that run a phoneline for sleep-deprived children to call in on and hear a bedtime story. One child in particular captures Fern. I'm a bit flabbergasted after reading this. It wasn't what I was expecting; it was so much more' NETGALLEY REVIEWER, 5*

A terrifying portrait of a near future . . . Both thought-provoking and heartfelt, END OF STORY is a unique dystopian mystery about human connection amidst automation, renewal amidst defeat, and the power of writing." - Winnie M Li Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide.It is multi layered and ingenious and once again it felt like she had my heart in her hand and was gently squeezing it throughout Despite being slow-paced, the story had enough going on to keep me hooked. (It is literary fiction and thus heavily character-oriented. So the slow pace is to be expected.) I think the ending was what I enjoyed most though, and perhaps that is because I don’t really read dystopian novels, but Louise Swanson managed to make it all sound so believable in the huge twist and consequential fallout.

Only, Fern doesn't plan on going down without a fight. She'll keep writing, no matter the consequences. She will make her voice heard. An unforgettable tour-de-force. Imaginative, terrifying, beautiful. Do not miss this one." - Chris Whitaker It is multi You will find some events seemingly inspired from dystopian classics such as Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. Keep your patience. There’s a reason behind every such reference.

I remember sitting in my musician father's cross-legged lap while he tried to show me the guitar chords. I was three. His music sheets fascinated me - strange language that translated into music. My mother taught French and English, so her fluency with words fired my interest. What I am trying to say is, this book isn’t only for dystopian fiction fans. So don’t disregard the book by its genre if you don’t read dystopian works. ( In fact, a part of me feels it will not work as well for dystopian book lovers.)

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “End of Story”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook. I had requested this book mainly on seeing the part about the ban on fiction. But the book spoke not just to the bibliophile in me but also to the woman and the mother in me. I hadn’t expected such an emotional impact.Thank you to Louise Swanson, Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook. It's 2035 and all fiction books have been banned for 5 years and only books based on facts can be sold and read. Fern Dostoy has lost her livelihood of being an award winning writer. She was taken from her home and isolated from all of her friends and the government keep tabs on her to make sure that she is not writing. Despite the consequences of writing, that does not stop Fern especially when she becomes a bedtime story reader and grows an attachment to one particular boy, Hunter. But what is real and what is fake? It’s the year 2035 and fiction has been banned by the government for five years. Writing novels is a crime. Reading fairytales to children is punishable by law. I liked the characters and especially Fern, she does meander off a little in the middle but overall, was entertaining and paranoid. We see how drastically her life has changed from a best-selling author to nothing, a nobody living quietly in a new home where everything is different. The ideas mooted in her fictional book are interesting and give plenty of food for thought, though also a little terrifying!

A few of the dystopian scenes were too graphic for me. This might not be a problem for all readers. Fern Doystoy was a Booker winner, one of the big 4, who’s life was stripped bare as she was a writer Fern Dostoy is a criminal. Officially, she has retrained in a new job outside of the arts but she still scrawls in a secret notepad in an effort to capture what her life has become: her work on a banned phone line, reading bedtime stories to sleep-starved children; Hunter, the young boy who calls her and has captured her heart; and the dreaded visits from government officials. In a dystopian future, stories are forbidden, and former authors have been thrown into hidden prisons. However, the passionate power of storytelling pulses through 2035 – with its infamous Big Four books being among the last ever written before fiction was banned. Fern Dostoy wrote one such book to honour her late husband in grief…but it came at a cost; she now labours away under an alternate identity for meagre wages while two persistent police inspectors keep watch over her every move. Yet even as reality is heavily guarded by oppressive forces, people will still find ways to share their sacred tales –– making life quite difficult for any formerly famous author trying to stay isolated! A chilling and moving tale that will strike fear into the heart of every book lover. The ending blew me away." - Mark Edwards

Admittedly when I finished this utterly amazing novel I bawled like a baby for a good hour. I mean really, you should all read it and share the completely honest trauma. Fern Dostoy was a very successful, award winning writer until fiction was banned. She is now not allowed to write, with a fine & possible imprisonment being the punishments for being caught writing or reading. The people running the country believe that fiction warps our minds, and we are told what to read. In today’s world, these things do not sound so far fetched! But we all know that she’s not going to do as she’s told don’t we?! A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! *** The book is written in five parts, each named after the five stages of grief. You will find Fern’s thoughts aligning with the specific grief stage perfectly without going too far. (And when it does become farfetched, you’ll know the reason for it later.) A beautifully written dystopian tale which had me enthralled from the start with its terrifying vision of a world without fiction. Hugely imaginative, original, and ultimately incredibly moving, End of Story is a wonderful book with a cast of fascinating characters. Loved it." - Amanda Jennings