Postscript

$19.99 US
Penguin Young Readers | Dutton Books for Young Readers
12 per carton
On sale Feb 17, 2026 | 9780593618240
Age 14 and up
Sales rights: US, Canada, Open Mkt

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From Stonewall Honoree Cory McCarthy, a heartbreaking, joyful, read-it-in-one-sitting YA novel about the last of us.

“I’m not sure the how-pocalypse changes anything. I don’t think about it; this is hard enough.”
   This is a depopulated archipelago off the coast of Massachusetts, home to a tiny handful of sapiens sifting the remnants of civilization for scraps of comfort and joy. 
    There’s no sense in trying to figure out exactly how humans got to this place of endless gray skies and so many mass graves—that’s a very long letter no one has the heart to read again. What matters is this fleeting postscript, a strangely joyous house of bones built by an unlikely quintet of survivors.
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"Extraordinary in both senses of the word—Postscript is a startling, loving, devastating story for us all. I hope it's not too late."—David Levithan, New York Times bestselling author of Every Day

"Postscript
is wholly original, gorgeously rendered, and so full of passion and pathos, it left me aching. It’s an actual tour de force."—Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

"An incandescent work of art and a glorious coda for humanity. This is the most cathartic book I’ve ever read. It’s also a stunning masterpiece of humor, feeling, philosophy, and no-holds-barred romance. Above all, it’s an ode to instinct. Postscript has the power to realign your life. You should let it."—A. R. Capetta, Lambda-Award winning author of The Heartbreak Bakery

★ "Simultaneously tragic, existentially terrifying, heartwarming, and sensual, the narrative blends these contradictions into a compact, beautiful, and well-wrought whole.... McCarthy’s striking black-and-white illustrations adorn the text and offer more content for readers to ponder. A deep story to read on an overcast afternoon while contemplating existence."—Kirkus, starred review

★ "Evokes Francesca Lia Block.... Give this to fans of Marcus Sedgwick, Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy, and The Last of Us."—SLJ, starred review

"Deeply meditative.... A beautiful exploration of humanity."—Booklist

"A radical and defiant celebration of bliss in a time and place where that should be impossible."—BCCB

"Luminous . . . a poetic apocalypse narrative that explores grief, found family, and healing through community."—Publishers Weekly

About

From Stonewall Honoree Cory McCarthy, a heartbreaking, joyful, read-it-in-one-sitting YA novel about the last of us.

“I’m not sure the how-pocalypse changes anything. I don’t think about it; this is hard enough.”
   This is a depopulated archipelago off the coast of Massachusetts, home to a tiny handful of sapiens sifting the remnants of civilization for scraps of comfort and joy. 
    There’s no sense in trying to figure out exactly how humans got to this place of endless gray skies and so many mass graves—that’s a very long letter no one has the heart to read again. What matters is this fleeting postscript, a strangely joyous house of bones built by an unlikely quintet of survivors.

Photos

additional book photo
additional book photo

Praise

"Extraordinary in both senses of the word—Postscript is a startling, loving, devastating story for us all. I hope it's not too late."—David Levithan, New York Times bestselling author of Every Day

"Postscript
is wholly original, gorgeously rendered, and so full of passion and pathos, it left me aching. It’s an actual tour de force."—Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

"An incandescent work of art and a glorious coda for humanity. This is the most cathartic book I’ve ever read. It’s also a stunning masterpiece of humor, feeling, philosophy, and no-holds-barred romance. Above all, it’s an ode to instinct. Postscript has the power to realign your life. You should let it."—A. R. Capetta, Lambda-Award winning author of The Heartbreak Bakery

★ "Simultaneously tragic, existentially terrifying, heartwarming, and sensual, the narrative blends these contradictions into a compact, beautiful, and well-wrought whole.... McCarthy’s striking black-and-white illustrations adorn the text and offer more content for readers to ponder. A deep story to read on an overcast afternoon while contemplating existence."—Kirkus, starred review

★ "Evokes Francesca Lia Block.... Give this to fans of Marcus Sedgwick, Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy, and The Last of Us."—SLJ, starred review

"Deeply meditative.... A beautiful exploration of humanity."—Booklist

"A radical and defiant celebration of bliss in a time and place where that should be impossible."—BCCB

"Luminous . . . a poetic apocalypse narrative that explores grief, found family, and healing through community."—Publishers Weekly