No Parking At The End Times

What would you do if the world didn’t end when you thought it would? Bryan Bliss’ No Parking At The End Times is a gut-wrenching novel that addresses that very question. When Abigail’s parents announce that they are selling all of their belongings and moving to San Francisco for a front row seat to the end of the world, Abigail and her twin brother, Aaron have no choice but to go along with their parents. Abigail and her brother wrestle with the question of their own agency throughout the story, and at sixteen years of age, neither of them is sure they are capable of making tough choices without the blessing of their parents. When the world doesn’t end, and Abigail’s family doesn’t return home to North Carolina, they live out of their van and wait. But for what?

As a reader, witnessing this family’s disintegration is nothing short of frustrating. Abigail’s father still believes in Brother John, the fundamentalist preacher who takes their “offerings” without hesitation; Abigail’s mother is silent and compliant, while Aaron is getting angrier by the day. When Abigail discovers that Aaron’s been sneaking out at night, she follows him and learns of his new friends he’s made without her. Even though the world didn’t end, it’s clear that Abigail’s world will never be the same.
One of the more interesting aspects of Bliss’ novel is Abigail’s struggle to reconcile her past with her present. When she meets Aaron’s new friends, she labels them as different from her and her brother, telling herself that these kids are homeless, but that she and Aaron have a home. It was tough to watch Abigail grasp the reality, (and gravity), of her family’s situation as they became more and more desperate. This made No Parking at the End Times a challenging read, which I appreciated. Bliss doesn’t shy away from the heartbreaking aspects of homelessness, addressing the issue in such a way that the reader is sure to identify with Abigail and her family through the first person narrative.

While Abigail’s parents continue to believe that everything will work out according to God’s plan - since that’s what Brother John keeps telling them - they tithe the entirety of their savings, money from the sale of their house and possessions to further the Kingdom only to end up losing their van; the only possession that Abigail believes is keeping them from being truly homeless.
I found myself wanting to scream at their father, shake the mother, and hurt Brother John. Violent emotions for a book based around religion. Which ultimately begs the question: At what point does blind faith become harmful? Abigail’s family is an extreme example of when faith goes wrong, but it’s not a stretch to imagine this scenario happening in real life. Bliss has a knack for writing the internal struggle of a sixteen-year-old who is questioning her faith, her family, and finding her own power at a time when she feels ultimately powerless.

Something Bliss does well is transferring Abigail’s sense of powerlessness to the reader. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book where I couldn’t tear myself away from its pages simply for the fact that I didn’t want to abandon the characters. I was entranced by this story from the beginning and the power that Abigail’s religion held over her family.

The story's pacing was slightly distracting throughout. While I never felt the urge to put the book down and take a break, the first half of the novel read slowly. By the time we hit the climax of the story - it was over. There was a small chapter that summed up the final choice Abigail has to make; the anger she feels for her parents; and the reconciliation that does eventually take place, but the resolution ultimately felt rushed. That’s not how I like to leave a book, and especially a book with so much baggage as No Parking At The End Times.

However, I commend Bliss on capturing the tenuous relationship between characters and their journey to self-evaluation with tact, inviting the reader along for the ride. No Parking At The End Times is a fascinating story about religious zeal, and good intentions gone wrong. It is the type of book that will force you to question your own beliefs as you struggle along with Abigail and, in the end, emerge with a stronger sense of self.