In the modern era, people plan out their lives so much they even formulate how they are going to die. In reality, no one can plan for their death, no matter how organized they may be. But what if you could get an idea of it? What if you knew the day you were going to die? How would you change your life? Would you plan around it, or try to prevent it? Or would you deny it entirely? These are the questions Adam Silver asks in his 2017 novel,  They Both Die At The End.

     They Both Die At The End takes place in an alternate 2017, in which a company known as “Death-Cast” calls people at midnight on the day they are going to die. The world is turned on its head because of Death-Cast, new business models and ways of life are established to make the  “Deckers’” last day easier. “Last Moments” becomes the new Make-A-Wish, a place for Deckers to gain new experiences through VR in their last 24 hours. New apps develop as well, such as the social media platform “Count Downers,” the last-ditch dating app “Necro,” and the friend-making forum “Last Friends.” The main characters of They Both Die At The End, Mateo and Rufus, meet on Last Friends despite their different walks of life and decide to spend their final day alive being with each other. 

     Though the book is a bit rushed, They Both Die At The End is an incredible depiction of how the human mind copes with death, especially its own. As Mateo and Rufus lament about their past joys and regrets and mourn the future they will never live, they also learn to live in the present. Everyone has their own ideas about mortality and the afterlife, and Adam Silvera’s book takes time to sit with all of them; to dwell on and analyze these ideas, letting the reader feel them with the characters. And that is what They Both Die At The End is; not a book you read, but a book you feel.