The 5th Wave

Yancey, R. (2013). The 5th Wave. G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers.  
NYT Bestseller (Aug. 30, 2015 - YA Paperback)

Summary: The 5^th Wave a Science Fiction novel that describes the waves of an alien attack. In the first wave, the electronics were destroyed, the second wave brought catastrophic destruction to all of the coastlines, the third wave wiped out seven billion people with an Ebola virus, and wave four revealed that some humans were hosts to aliens. Cassie and Ben are living separate lives and are now embarking on the fifth and final wave of the attack. Both of Cassie’s parents have died and she is in search of her little brother. During her search, she is shot, nearly dies, and taken in by a boy who she believes is the shooter. Ben is living in a refugee camp and was sick with the Ebola virus until he received medicine to cure him. He became a solider to battle the aliens who killed his sister. Along the way, he finds a small boy who believes his sister is coming to save him. Through a series of events, Cassie finds her little brother on the corrupted military base where him and Ben are staying. They find each other and escape together outrunning and surviving from the people trying to kill them.

Commentary: The 5^th Wave is a novel that consists of dual narratives from Cassie and Ben. It is an intriguing approach to a two stories that become intertwined at the end. A commonality in the characters mistrust they have in others. Because of the resent catastrophic events, survivors are turning on each other, which creates paranoia and suspension in all who remain. This book causes the reader to have a temporary suspension of disbelief and let themselves become lost in the story. These events can become real in reader’s minds because of the extensive description of the setting and events. Without the vivid descriptions, readers would not be able to dive a deeply and emotionally into the story. The ending gives a sense of hopefulness because of the unlikelihood but prevalence of survival in the circumstances that Cassie and Ben faced.

Connection: Books with similar themes: Divergent by Veronica Roth and The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken