I really enjoyed this book. I loved going back and forth between the different times and how Doerr eventually tied everything together.
If I have one tiny complaint, it is with end of Konstance’s story. I wanted to know more. What was Earth like when she first came out of Argos? Why hadn’t anyone ever checked on the people in Argos? The last Argos chapter is Mission Year 65. Konstance is 14. Rachel, one of the students from Zeno’s library play, was Konstance’s Great Grandmother. I’ve been looking back to find Konstance’s father’s age, but it is difficult to find, especially on a Kindle. We were told he was one of the few people on Argos to have lived on Earth.
I won’t bore you with my calculations, but I put Konstance’s father at around 78 at the end of the book when Konstance is 14. I figured the Argos’ “journey” begins in 2073, lasts 65 years, and it is 2138 when Konstance leaves the Argos. The Qaanaaq chapter at the end of the book is 2146, so Konstance should be 22. None of this may be important. I just wanted to know.
Is the village Konstance lives in one of the last in the world? Are these the people who will repopulate the earth or are they still caught in its final destruction?
I just read what I wrote to my husband. He feels all the other story lines show human perserverance and survival, so feels Konstance’s story will be the same. The people of Konstance’s village will be part of the future. Their story will live, as well as Aethon’s.
I like that perspective. I think I’m going to agree with him.