payment page
“It’s supposed to feel real and the risks should scare you and the goodbyes should suck. Otherwise, it feels cheap, like Make-a-Moment. If you live it right, one day should be good.”
At the middle point of the novel, Rufus reveals that his version of the afterlife would simply be living out his End Day. The idea compounds a central idea of the novel that real life involves emotional and physical risks that are ultimately worthwhile. Both Mateo and Rufus set out to live fully on their End Day. In juxtaposition with their unsatisfying experience at Make-a-Moment, the rest of their day is filled with risks and rewards. From physical to emotional risks, both boys face fears and find growth and fulfillment as they go through their End Day. They also show how, while hard and upsetting, closure can be satisfying. Mateo is able to say goodbye to Lidia despite his impulse to protect her from being upset. Rufus is not only able to get closure with Aimee and say goodbye to Malcolm and Tagoe, but also put his guilt and anger to rest by facing his feelings about his family’s deaths. Throughout the novel is the underpinning understanding that no one in real life gets a Death-Cast alert. The message, therefore, is that everyone should live each day as if it’s their End Day.
