Marieke Nijkamp Novels

Even If We Break
The locked room book. I've been reading a lot of stories with the theme of a former D&D group getting together for one last game so reading a horror version of that was a no-brainer. This is a pretty standard locked-room mystery (locked cabin) and because of that I knew who the killer was pretty soon into the book. What made the book enjoyable even with that knowledge was the personal points of view of the characters, and how deeply thoughtful and emotional they were. This is Marieke Nijkamp's big gifts: Her understanding of trauma that allows her to go deeply into the thoughts and emotions of her characters. That made the book truly eerie and terrifying.

After We Burned
The fire book. This is the novel that was not what I thought it would be. I thought were were finding out what happened to a missing girl, but then there's a fire, and then there's something bigger and even worse. I enjoyed this because of the layers of secrets involved in the mystery reveals that so perfectly mirrored the layers of secrets involved in what happened and what was done. Once again Nijkamp's gift of pov writing played a huge part in my enjoyment of this book. We all know we lie to ourselves more than to anyone else, and that's fun for me to read.

At the End of Everything
The plague book. Literally, there is a plague, and kids in a facility are abandoned to handle it by themselves. I am immunosuppressed and I now have long-covid, so this book spoke to me. I was beyond delighted to watch these kids turn not to violence as in so many books and shows, but turn to compassion. It filled me with hope. As usual, there are multiple povs and reading the thoughts of these kids about a literal plague and seeing how different they are from the adults who abandoned them is sad and also wonderful. I highly recommend this book.

This Is Where It Ends
The school-shooting book. It is heartbreaking. Through pov chapters and social media, it tells the stories of teenagers during the first day of school, when most of them are in the auditorium for an orientation, some are at cross country practice, some are home, and some are up to mischief, and one has decided to come to school and kill people. Marieke Nijkamp never shies away from the bad and the ugly so we find ourselves in the heads of the shooter's abused sister and beloved girlfriend, for example, both of whom knew a very different person until this day. I reiterate, this is a heartbreaking book. You're going to love these kids you meet and grieve when some die, and you're only going to know them for the worst hour of their lives. I recommend it but be very careful with yourself.

#Bookstodon #MariekeNijkamp #CurrentlyReading #2026Reading #EvenIfWeBreak #AfterWeBurned #AtTheEndOfEverything #ThisIsWhereItEnds