Fiction Review: Hap & Hazard and the End of the World

In December, I read Hap & Hazard and the End of the World, a novel by debut author Diane DeSanders, and reviewed it for Shelf Awareness. My review of this January release was published this week, and you can read it at this link.

I enjoyed this immersive novel. It takes place in the 1950's near Dallas and is told from the perspective of a little girl. This child has a lot of serious stuff to deal with in her young life, so the novel is a mix of amusing childhood observations and experiences - like her efforts to find out if Santa is real, which her parents deal with by taking her to see the newly released Miracle on 34th Street (which only confuses her more) - and some difficult and even disturbing scenes. I was taken by surprise by one especially disturbing episode toward the end of the novel, but overall, I enjoyed the book and really liked the innocent but determined young narrator. I was rooting for her and wished I could somehow protect her from the sometimes cruel realities of life. Ultimately, her story is one of real life - with its ups and downs, joys and pains - that also draws a picture of the world at that time.

You can read my full review on Shelf Awareness.

288 pages, Bellevue Literary Press

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

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