THE PROBABILITY OF EVERYTHING

An 11-year-old girl processes the end of her world and prepares for a new beginning.

What happens after the world ends? Kemi Carter contemplates this as she counts down the last four days before a possible apocalypse brought about by the looming presence of Amplus-68. The asteroid has an 84.7% chance of colliding with Earth. Keen scientist Kemi knows that the likelihood of survival is slim. She looks up facts about asteroids and investigates what the end of the world would be like, but she realizes that her family members are handling this differently than she is. Kemi decides to start a time capsule preserving something each of them loves so “the next earthlings could find it and know about us.” As Kemi, who has an African American dad and a Nigerian mom, gathers mementos, she reflects on what life has been like since they moved to their new, prosperous, primarily White neighborhood—a change that has brought complications. These memories lead up to a shocking plot twist that will have readers questioning her reality. Everett skillfully uses Kemi’s love of facts and statistics to process her feelings; as the story slowly reaches its climax, this element helps tie its many themes together. Individual family members are fleshed out as they share stories of their cherished possessions and demonstrate their support of Kemi in various ways. This realistically drawn, gut-wrenching novel will stick with readers long after they’ve finished reading.

A powerful exploration of grief.