Oryx & Crake - Margaret Atwood

You know when you finish a book and you think to yourself, "Man, anything I read after this is going to be crap" because the book was just that good? Yeah... that's how I feel about Oryx & Crake. I loved it. Loved. I couldn't put it down.

It was referred by my mom. And my brother. And my husband. That's a good cheering section.

I don't know the year. I don't know the exact location. But Snowman is wrapped in an old sheet, living in a tree. Crake's Children are everywhere and they know so little about anything. He can't have a conversation with them without having to stop to explain what wind is, what pain feels like, what storms are. He is the only one left like him. Everyone else around him are perfect specimen who only eat vegetables, who can't catch disease and who are infinitely happy. As he navigates this new world, he flashes back to tell the story of when he was Jimmy and when Crake wasn't always Crake.

They were childhood best friends, living in a science community. Their parents all worked for a life science company that focused their efforts on extreme advancements in everything from food to disease. The two boys grew up together, playing video games, talking about girls, watching illicit things on the web. It was there that they first met Oryx, the pixie star of a pedophilic film. When they went off to college, Jimmy's experience was relatively "normal" while Crake spends his time developing "Crakers" - a new race of humans. He finds Oryx and hires her as his assistant.

It's soon after that an apocalyptic event occurs, leaving Snowman as the last remaining human.

The writing is smooth and the story tells itself. My husband hated the ending, but I liked it. I can't wait to hear what you think.