All That’s Left in the World

Erik J. Brown’s debut sets a YA romance in the rubble of a deadly pandemic that has wiped out most of the world. Two teenage boys, Andrew and Jamie, meet in the woods of Pennsylvania and end up walking south together, looking for a place that might still be functioning.

The book is gentle about its violence and unflinching about its quieter cruelties. Brown is more interested in what survival does to teenagers than in zombie-style action sequences. The threat is mostly other people.

The romance grows slowly across the road trip. Both boys are carrying loss they haven’t processed, and the conversations they end up having on long walks are some of the strongest scenes in the book.

Readers who liked Adam Silvera or who picked up The Last of Us in any form will find this in adjacent territory. The ending is hopeful enough to stay with you.