Fans of John Green and Matthew Quick: Get ready to die laughing.
Denton Little’s Deathdate takes place in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day on which they will die. For Denton, that’s in just two days—the day of his senior prom.
Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life, but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts. First hangover. First sex. First love triangle—as the first sex seems to have happened not with his adoring girlfriend, but with his best friend’s hostile sister. (Though he’s not totally sure—see, first hangover.) His anxiety builds when he discovers a strange purple rash making its way up his body. Is this what will kill him? And then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton’s long-deceased mother, and warning him to beware of suspicious government characters. . . . Suddenly Denton’s life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers.
Debut author Lance Rubin takes us on a fast, furious, and outrageously funny ride through the last hours of a teenager’s life as he searches for love, meaning, answers, and (just maybe) a way to live on.
Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
He doesn't want to get dramatic, but...
By E.M. Bristol
it's Denton Little's deathdate soon. Like most of the US population in the unspecified future in Lance Rubin's new young adult novel, Denton knows that he's going to die in his seventeenth year, which obviously raises some existential questions early on. But Denton's never been the rebellious type, nor does he have an exotic bucket list to check off. When the book opens, he's just woken up in a hung-over state in his best friend's sister's bedroom, having no clue what's transpired the night before. However, he's pretty sure he's broken up with his longtime girlfriend and slept with the aforesaid friend's sister, which means, even with the death date approaching, some groveling may be in store, as Denton goes about attending (as customary) his funeral and a "Sitting." Things will soon become even more uncomfortable when he realizes that not only is a strange cop seem to be tailing him, he's developing a bizarre rash, and the possibility that his mom might be alive after all is suddenly raised. With his best friend, Paolo, his parents, older brother and several other friends/classmates, Denton begins to try and piece together what's happening to him. By the time, they attend the prom en masse, the wackiness is in overdrive, and it seems like that several people he's known all his life may not be what they appear. Can he solve the mystery before, well, his time is up?The book is intended for ages 14 and up, and contains many references to sexual activity and pot smoking, but probably not what would be unusual for a modern American teen in Denton's position. Some of the secondary characters could have done with more development, and there is a lot of bawdy humor, but Denton is a fairly likeable hero, even though he doesn't always do the "right thing," and there are plenty of sweet moments (particularly between Denton and his family), as well.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Surprisingly funny treatment of a morbid but fascinating premise
By Carol S.
Imagine a world very similar to ours, except everyone knows the precise date of their death. That's the world Denton Little lives in, and his quiet suburban life is rapidly reaching its predetermined end; as the book begins, his death date is just one day away. Denton is a charming character and his voice is funny, real and sweet. He wakes up on the day before his Death Date hungover, in the bed of his best friend's sister, not quite remember what happened the night before. In just 24 hours he'll have to face the great unknown, but in the meantime, he's got to face attending his own funeral, saying goodbyes, figuring out why he has a weird purple blotch on his leg, and maybe learning a little more about his biological mom, who died when he was born. Although the subject seems morbid, in the hands of Lance Rubin, the narrative is actually quite humorous and fun to read, subtly raising the intiguing question whether it's better to know the exact date of one's demise, or whether it's preferable to not know and try to live each day unsure whether it will be your last.I didn't expect to enjoy this book so much, but it was really funny and creative. The characters seemed very real, and I loved Denton's voice. The story takes some unexpected twists and the ending wasn't quite what I expected. A quick read that manages to be both touching and laugh-out-loud funny, while it also makes you think a bit.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
“…Remember to Live …”
By delicateflower152
“Denton Little’s Deathdate” may be one of the most potentially depressing novels ever. However, Lance Rubin’s book is also original and sometimes funny. Nevertheless, some may view it as a novel inspiring an attitude that there is no hope. If you knew exactly when you or a family member was going to die, I cannot imagine that you would want to fall in love, have a family, or strive to achieve what would essentially be for naught. It is only as the novel concludes that the actual story becomes clear.Like everyone in the world, seventeen-year old Denton Little knows exactly when he will die - the day of his senior prom. Thanks to the field of AstroThanatoGenetics (ATG), no one has any doubt about the date of death, only the manner in which it will occur. Society has created an entire celebratory experience around the impending death. DeathWeek allows individuals to do the things they love most. Family and friends, as well as the soon-to-be dead honoree attend the funeral that many call the “Final Celebration.”The final step in the chain is an event called the “Sitting”. Most spend it at home, waiting to die or as Denton says “…Being in your house inspires some blind hope …nothing bad could actually happen … It’s a healthy delusion …”As Denton “lives” his last days, he tries to experience all those things he will miss – getting drunk, getting high, having sex with his best friend’s older sister and the next day with his girlfriend. Shortly before his deathdate, a mysterious purple splotch begins spreading over Denton’s body. The purple splotch contains red dots that move when touched. Others close to Denton begin developing the purple splotch, but without the red dots. On the night of the prom, Denton’s father finally gives him a letter written by his biological mother before he was born. (Her deathdate was his birthdate.) It is only then that the reasons behind some of the mysteries previously hinted at begin to become clearer.“Denton Little’s Deathdate” is written in the first person. In most novels, this allows the reader to develop a “relationship” with that individual and to empathize with their situation. I did not find this to be true with respect to Denton. This novel is easy to read; chapters are short and the vocabulary is not particularly challenging.As an adult, I understand the message of “Denton Little’s Deathdate” is that one should live each day to the fullest. Nothing is ever final and even the most dire situation is survivable; one can triumph over adverse circumstances with the help of others. Targeted at ages 14-years and older, the book is aimed at an age group grappling with school, social pressures, raging hormones and the accompanying mood swings, and seeking to assert themselves in the face of parental concerns. Thus, I am not sure that some of those young readers will grasp the positive aspect of the novel. Instead, they may feel “Denton Little’s Deathdate” confirms there is no hope for the future, that death and dying are the only sure things. Further, while the sexual experiences, as well as drug and alcohol use and profanity - especially the “F-word” - are realities, the casual manner in which they are treated throughout “Denton Little’s Deathdate” may not be appropriate for those at the lower end of the target group.The concept presented in “Denton Little’s Deathdate” is an interesting one. The novel has some humorous situations that might have been developed further. The final chapters are quite strong and very compelling. Had the entire novel been of this caliber it would have received a 4-star rating. More attention to the mystery that is only hinted at throughout the first three-quarters of the book and that was revealed in the final chapters would have created a much stronger novel.
