Last Day

A darkly glittering novel . . . Ruta, who is also the author of a best-selling memoir, With or Without You, deeply sympathizes with the damaged and their worlds. . . . Despite the heavy subject matter, comic moments leaven the book. --The New York Times In this woven novel, we humans are love, are destruction, are wish and want. Domenica Ruta has created a portrait of humanity in a moment that is both the end and the beginning, and this novel is urgent and true and filled with such beauty. --Ramona Ausubel, author of Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty and No One Is Here Except All of Us Domenica Ruta's empathy is broad and deep, her prose fine-grained, her humor sharp but tender. Last Day is a life-affirming antidote to these pre-apocalyptic times. --Teddy Wayne, author of Loner Domenica Ruta has collected seven disconnected lives--each one heartbreaking and hilarious, flawed and exalted--and masterfully ties them together using rituals of loss and celebration. Last Day travels from outer space panoramas to palm-sized minutia, every paragraph punctuated with curious truths. I devoured this book and, much like the world itself, I didn't want it to end. --Adam Nemett, author of We Can Save Us All Last Day is a galaxy unto itself, a profound and incisive slice of our world on the edge of its inevitable end from a brilliant voice in American fiction. --Amelia Gray, author of Isadora After making a splash with her memoir, With or Without You, Ruta returns with an inventive first novel. . . . An entertaining and clever speculative tale. --Booklist A beautiful portrait of humanity in the shadow of a dying Earth . . . Ruta delicately sketches the large cast of characters--as well as their dreams, fears, and failures--with care. She's able to pinpoint certain universal feelings with precision. --Kirkus Reviews