Do They Both Die at The End?

By: Citlali

    They Both Die at The End is a really bitter book. Based on the title, you may think you know what is going to happen. Of course, titles don't always tell the truth. The real question is whether this one does.

    Rufus and Mateo are complete strangers who each get a notification that they are going to die in the next day from Death-Cast, an organization that does exactly that. After talking for a while on an app called Last Friend, they meet up and spend the whole day together. 

    I say bitter because the story is just tragic. After getting his notification, Mateo just starts to give up on everything and it makes you think about how many other people in the world did the same after getting their call from Death-Cast. Rufus, however, does the opposite. He tries to explore the world with all the time he thinks he has left, and in doing so, he changes Mateo greatly. They practically switch their outlooks on life with each other, which is understandable since being told you're about to die can do that.

    When hearing a story where two strangers meet and become really close in the span of one day, it can sound like a stretch. But reading the book, you realize just how easy and natural it was for Rufus and Mateo to do that. Most of the characters are really likable even though you haven't known them for a while, but they still have their faults, and the sense of family that Mateo and Rufus are able to create is really heartwarming to see. Nearing the end of the book, Rufus and Mateo have changed a lot. A big part of this is because twenty-four hours is almost up. If Death-Cast never called, their days would be much more different. They probably wouldn't have met each other, and the ending might have never happened.

    In the book, no one besides a select few at Death-Cast know who will die at any time, and no one knows how they know. It's strange to think about a world where at any moment, you could be alerted of your death before it happens, even if you aren't in a situation where you could expect that. Having that kind of information would cause a lot of different perspectives on life, and society would probably function a lot differently than it does right now. Having a call from Death-Cast is normalized and there are plenty of resources characters could use on their last day.

    Even though Rufus and Mateo's narrations are sad, the happiness they find in each other really shows it's possible to stay positive in difficult situations and that stepping out of your comfort zone can be life changing.