In the age of Trump, the call to bring ‘anger and clarity’ to writing refutes the idea that literature is a guilty, escapist indulgence. Tell Me How It Ends insists that artists take action, and its message is clear: we are all deeply implicated in the plight faced by these children.” —Paste Luiselli points out how cruelly Mexico treats Central American migrants, too. And she deftly shows how the U.S. and Central America aren't distinct entities but part of the same complicated social eco-system.

This was a perfect cozy read. It was soft and wholesome, but still fun and exciting when it needed to be. This noble instinct probably feels familiar to the many writers who, since the American political crisis began with the election of Donald J. Trump, have been turning their work outward to looming racial, economic, and environmental injustices. But what Luiselli accomplishes, in her volunteer work and in Tell Me How It Ends, is quite a bit more pointed: a transformation of consciousness.” —Literary Hub Although I wish there was a bit more struggle to achieve certain goals, there were moments where I felt that the plot moved along too easily for the character, which lent a bit to predictability (which, IMO, is absolutely fine to have in any novel). And, with a larger supporting cast, there are places where I felt we—as the reader—needed more time to really sit in that space and connect just as Iris did. Despite that, the characters do develop and have the space to continue to grow as Li continues to write their story. The ending was a moment for Iris to let go and start her journey free to focus on herself and what lies ahead. want to start this review with a HUGEEE thank you to the author for letting me be apart of the arc team for this book!! as soon as i saw this book being advertised as a tangled retelling on twt i knew i HAD to get my hands on it as soon as possible and i am so happy i was given this opportunity <3 Planning to buy Tell Me How This Ends for your group? Buy books from Hive or from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you.

Zwei Menschen, deren Weg sich scheinbar zufällig kreuzt. Eigentlich sollte die eine die "Erzählerin" sein und die andere die "Zuhörerin". Bleiben die Grenzen klar oder verschwimmen sie? Wird die Lebensgeschichte erzählt oder bleibt sie unvollständig? Wesen Geschichte wird es letztendlich sein?

the climax of the original was almost entirely absent from the re-imagining. While we do get to see the new take on Flynn, his betrayal, and imprisonment, the primary antagonist present in Mother Gothel practically doesn’t exist. We see one conversation with the protagonist’s mother at the beginning, and then that’s it. Iris never confronts the true antagonist of the story. She never revisits that open conflict to resolve it, both for readers and herself. Ultimately the conclusion drawn by the characters is that Iris shouldn’t return to her once-home to settle things with her mother, and then the credits roll. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte ich noch keine Ahnung, dass dieser Roman darin, schon bald zu meinen Lieblingsbüchern gehören wird. Doch eins wusste ich sofort, der Klappentext verspricht eine besondere Geschichte zu werden. ⁣ Luiselli’s awareness of a story’s ability to restrict informs the book’s judicious use of these children’s lives, as well as its quietly brilliant structure as a series of responses to the questionnaire, which Luiselli describes as a reflection of ‘a colder, more cynical and brutal reality.’ . . . The account that emerges has no fixed origin, and the crisis, as Luiselli wisely points out, belongs not to any specific country or countries but to all of us living in this corner of the world.” —New York Times Sunday Book Review

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Compelling and urgent, Tell Me How It Ends gives a face and a name to the hundreds of thousands who have committed the innocent crime of geography: being born in a certain time and place. The bureaucratic labyrinth of immigration, the dangers of searching for a better life, all of this and more is contained in this brief and profound work. Tell Me How It Ends is not just relevant, it’s essential.” —Mark Haber, Brazos Bookstore Mit Henrietta und Annie habe ich sofort Freundschaft geschlossen. Obwohl beide Frauen sehr unterschiedlich sind, haben sie doch auch etwas gemeinsam. Zwei wirklich, wie ich finde, tolle Charaktere sind hier entstanden, deren Geschichten eine Sogwirkung erzeugen. Auch außerhalb des Lesens musste ich immer wieder daran denken. Hundeliebhaber kommen hier auch auf ihre Kosten. Henriettas Hund Dave ist der Knaller. By the way, eine Kopie von Lottie, dem echten Hund der Autorin. ⁣

In this world of unending crisis, Luiselli’s book is an important testament to the people and children buried within the numbers and histories and politics, and through her compassionate observations she reminds us of their unassailable humanity.” —Drunken Boat Unlike Henrietta, Annie is brimming with confidence—but even she has limits when it comes to opening up. Ever since that terrible night when her sister left a pile of clothes beside the canal and vanished, Annie has been afraid to look too closely into the murky depths of her memories. When her attempts to glide over the past come up against Henrietta’s determination to fill in the gaps, both women find themselves confronting truths they’d thought were buried forever—especially when Henrietta’s digging unearths a surprising emotional connection between them. Tell Me How it Ends is the kind of reading experience that rips your heart out. . . . Luiselli has already demonstrated she’s one of the most powerful young voices in fiction, and with this book she has done the same in the realm of nonfiction. Simply put, this is required reading.” —Vol. 1 Brooklyn Translating language, experience, bodies across space and time, thought and culture—Luiselli wants us to join in this work. Tell Me How It Ends calls for a wholesale reimagining of both the forces that have shaped contemporary immigration into the United States as well as the way many Americans, disconnected from fact, picture it. It calls, moreover, for action.” —Brooklyn MagazineIn Tell Me How it Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions [Luiselli] combines the skills of a journalist who has a sharp eye for significant details with a novelist’s empathy.” —Times Literary Supplement Henrietta’s new position may not be everyone’s dream job, but it’s perfect for her-with no team building exercises or team targets. All she has to do is transcribe the memories of terminally ill patients and turn them into “Life Story books” which they can leave to their loved ones upon their passing. No time to get too attached, or disappointed. This moving, intimate narrative about the migration of children from Central America is based in part on the author’s experience as a volunteer court translator.” —New York Times Sunday Book Review
“ Tell Me How It Ends is a remarkable little work that, through its narrow lens, says more about the country than books ten times its size.” —GQ

Luiselli’s prose is always lush and astute, but this long essay, which borrows its framework from questions on the cold, bureaucratic work sheets with which she became so familiar (for example, ‘Did anything happen on your trip to the U.S. that scared or hurt you?’), is teeming with urgency. . . . In this slim volume about the spectacular failure of the American Dream, she tells the stories of the unnamed children she’s encountered and their fears and desires, as well as her own family’s immigration story.” —Vulture Luiselli’s first interview with a migrant is with Manu López, who is sixteen and has come to the United States from Honduras. He is terse with her, but he explains that he left his home country because gang members were pursuing him. He even shows her a copy of a police report he filed, outlining the fact that these gang members used to wait for him outside school every day and follow him home, threatening to kill him all the while. The copy of the report claims that the police department will take action, but this never happened.Tune in to the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show to hear the live feature on Tuesday 25 April. You can also listen to the full-length interview on BBC Sounds.