In life, there is suffering. Every human meets trial and tribulation, with the several tests placed before them across their lifetime – but could a person endure so much pain and still live to tell the tale? Is it possible for a person to salvage their life after every single aspect of it has been stripped away from them? Can a person even begin to salvage it when they themselves have been stripped down to a mere skeleton? Sara is faced with this very dilemma in Daisy DeMay’s latest novel The Cost of Living where she must find a place for herself, both within the new post-apocalyptic world and her own.
The novel opens up to our protagonist Sara Lister cowering in the far corner of her basement, finding herself amidst a massive storm one fateful afternoon – little did she know it would change the course of her entire life. Although the tornadoes left the basement untouched, the rest of her house and the neighbourhood was in complete shambles. With her children at school, her inner mother screamed for her to check on them, only to find them dead and gone. Her only reason to live was dead and gone.
As Sara mourns the death of her little ones, she chances upon an old friend Sam Alperstein and with him by her side, she comes to terms with her life in the years past and the present circumstances while navigating through the numerous obstacles hurled at them – including rapists, murderers and criminally insane patients on the loose. What initially was met with denial and frustration, along with an overwhelming sense of fear of what is to come, turned into resistance. From getting by however she could to actively working to rebuild civilisation, Sara’s mind transforms into one of a survivor instead of a mere victim, finally accepting her role in the apocalypse.
While the storms persist, our protagonist reflects on her life before the disaster – the life she shared with her husband Kyle. Even though she tries recalling happy instances from the marriage, all she can remember is how it took a turn for the worse. 10 years of verbal, emotional abuse later and she finally understands the impact it has had on her psyche, crippling her self worth and self esteem. The realisation coupled with the grief and sorrow that she experiences, leads her closer to mental breakdown. She is pushed to her limits with everything that comes her way, constantly on the edge, almost to the point of losing her will to live.
Her emotional vulnerability is also shown in her interactions with other characters, especially in her relationship with Sam and a fellow survivor named Adam. Sara begins to rely on Sam as more time passes by, and the distant memories from highschool that she had buried in the depths of her heart and soul resurface. Even so, she is unable to completely trust him and reacts to him quite maliciously on several occasions. Sara meets Adam in the face of danger, in a chance encounter where he saves her life, and finds herself inexplicably drawn to him. But she also realises that she is unequipped to reciprocate his affections and tries to push him away, acting almost self sabotaging.
Gradually, she becomes aware of the fact that her sense of self has been shattered over the years, but she attempts to face this fact and gathers the courage to live as herself – not a mother, wife or lover, but simply as Sara and readers get to experience this firsthand. DeMay’s first-person narrative takes them into the mind of the protagonist as she confronts her inner conflict and embarks on a journey towards self-discovery. Her conversational, introspective style allows the reader to experience the story directly from the character’s point of view, creating an experience so immersive that it bridges the gap between them, connecting the two on a confessional level.
The Cost of Living is a tale full of twists and turns, with the suspense dragging you through each and every page – and although it starts off as a slow burn, the writing, characters and ultimately, the final chapters make it worth all the anticipation in the end. What makes the novel so encaptivating however, is Sara’s portrayal as a trauma survivor. From her adolescence to middle age, she was increasingly tried and tested every which way, life chipping away at her until she inevitably cracked and crumbled. But as French novelist Marcel Proust once said, “We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full.” Her breakdown made way for a breakthrough. The end of the world, although first met with contempt, turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
As the plot unravels, you see that there is more than meets the eye as the author divulges the lives of Sam and Adam before teaming up with our protagonist, carrying the weight of their own burdens until the very end of the book. Just like Sara, they did whatever necessary to live on and get past the circumstances they had been faced with, even if it meant losing some things in the process – thus paying the price for survival, and discovering “the cost of living” as the title suggests. Our trio finally get a hold of other survivors, reaching out to them and reaching their ultimate goals as the novel comes to a close.
In spite of everything, they were now ready to confront the world head-on, so long as they were by each other’s side. Sam, Sara and Adam resign to their fates, welcoming their new lives and the inevitable trials and tribulations ahead of them. With The Cost of Living, Daisy DeMay truly goes to show that to find your way, sometimes you must lose your way.
Also Read: An Interview with Daisy DeMay
Discover the gripping and heart-wrenching journey of self-discovery and healing in ‘The Cost of Living’ by Daisy DeMay. Join Sarah as she finds unexpected allies and fights to reclaim her life from an abusive past. DeMay’s poignant storytelling reminds us that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope for a better tomorrow. Available now.
