Description
Book SynopsisIn the late 1980s, two teenage girls found refuge from a world of cosy conformity, sexism and the nuclear arms race in protest and punk. Then, drawn in by a promise of meaning and purpose, they cast off their punk outfits and became born-again Christians. Unsure which fate would come first – nuclear annihilation or the Second Coming of Jesus – they sought answers from end-times evangelists, scrutinising friends and family for signs of demon possession and identifying EFTPOS and barcodes as signs of a looming apocalypse. Fast forward to 2021, and Rebecca and Maz – now a science historian and an engineer – are on a road trip to the West Coast. Their journey, though full of laughter and conversation and hot pies, is haunted by the threats of climate change, conspiracy theories, and a massive overdue earthquake. End Times interweaves the stories of these two periods in Rebecca’s life, both of which have at heart a sleepless fear of the end of the world. Along the way she asks: Why do people hold on to some ideas but reject others? How do you engage with someone whose beliefs are wildly different from your own? And where can we find hope when it sometimes feels as if we all live on a fault line that could rupture at any moment?
Trade Review“
End Times is an urgent and important book about much more than coal, climate change and Christianity. It is a profound act of listening – an insightful, compassionate, and surprisingly funny exploration of where we have come from, how we got here, and where to now. It is also a story of a magnificent friendship. I have read nothing quite like it. At once terrifying and in some deeply human way, hopeful. Rebecca Priestley is our Rebecca Solnit but funny. I love this book so much.” - Ingrid Horrocks, author of
Where We Swim“A rich, honest, vivid book. Priestley’s patience with people achieves something invaluable; it evokes empathy but is also a stark reminder that this is no laughing matter. I loved reading about the things, landmarks and places I know, and I loved reading about granite. I saw the land and road she travelled, I saw these people and was deeply engaged in the kōrero she had with them.” - Becky Manawatu, author of
Aue“While also showing readers how many ways there are to look at land and rock, and to see how the earth will rupture during a quake along the Alpine Fault, she illustrates her anxiety about the lack of climate action. It feels very much a book of the now – the "end times" of the 1980s a juxtaposition to the existential crisis of the 2020s. It's an empathetic look at what others believe when those views oppose your own, and how empathy could be the first step in bridging those divides.” - Rebecca Styles,
NZ Listener
