Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White Published by PeachTree Publishing on June 7, 2022
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Dystopian, Young Adult Fiction / Horror, Young Adult Fiction / LGBTQ
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.
But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.
Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick’s terms…until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own.
I am in awe of this book! So beautiful and heartbreaking and healing. But also, at times, challenging and uncomfortable. The religious trauma that I’m still working through and trying to become comfortable in my own skin hits hard many times throughout the book. I feel so connected to Benji in trying to figure out who he is and, simultaneously, being ecstatic about using he/him pronouns and his real name. Even at thirty, I’m still figuring shit out….I mean, aren’t we all?
Even though this was a young adult novel, it read so much older than that. As a post-apocalyptic novel, there’s a focus on blood, guts, carnage, and trying to survive. Yet, the main part of the story focuses on this group of teenagers forced to grow up too soon just trying to figure things out after the Flood happened. The brilliance of White’s writing is how he breaks up this tense and horrible situation, with the group having fun moments and joking around. They can act like normal teenagers, as well as supporting each other. Even when they find out about Benji, they still support and accept him into the group. Ultimately, it brings a feeling of hopefulness that while disaster might happen (and people usually suck), there are those who work to do and be better.
I truly appreciated the ending, as the idea that I’m supposed to forgive and vengeance is God’s. Why is it that only oppressed people are required to turn the other cheek? To forgive and forget? These people want to exterminate me and mine, and I’m supposed to be okay with it, to accept it? I hate that. I am angry a lot of the time, frustrated and sad, and a whole host of other emotions. So, seeing Benji and the Watch decimate New Nazareth and end their control was satisfying and healing. There are monsters in the world, but who says they must be the bad guys? I absolutely love this book and recommend it to everyone!!
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