They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera is a young adult, science fiction novel published in 2017. Set in a dystopian alternate version of New York City in September 2017, the book follows two teenagers, Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio, who both have been notified by Death-Cast that they will die by the end of the day. Death-Cast, the defining feature of Silvera’s dystopia, is a company that predicts citizens’ deaths and notifies them when they have 24 hours left to live. This study guide refers to the first paperback edition of the novel published by HarperTeen in 2018.

In the world of the novel, Death-Cast notifies citizens on the day they will die. A person’s final day alive is referred to as their End Day, and people experiencing their End Day are called “Deckers.” Society is different due to the existence of the Decker population: There are blogs that follow Deckers on their End Days, bars that serve Deckers looking to party before they die, and an app called Last Friend that matches Deckers with another person so they do not have to spend their final day alone. The book focuses on the End Day shared by two Decker teenagers, Mateo and Rufus, who meet through Last Friend.

The novel deals with themes of mortality and the inevitability of death, the importance of friendship, and the experiences of LGBT teens of color. The novel is a New York Times bestseller, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Kirkus Best Book of the Year, and Booklist Editors’ Choice of 2017, among other praise. 

Other works by this author include More Happy Than Not, Infinity Son, and History is All You Left Me.

Plot Summary

Mateo receives the call from Death-Cast a little after midnight on September 5, 2017. At first, Mateo wants to spend the day tucked away in his bedroom, but because it is his last day alive, he pushes himself to try and make the most of his final 24 hours. He joins the app Last Friend, which pairs Deckers with other individuals—either Deckers or non-Deckers—who are looking for companionship on their End Day. Through Last Friend, Mateo meets Rufus, another Decker who got the call from Death-Cast while he was in the middle of beating up Patrick “Peck” Gavin, the current boyfriend of Rufus’ ex-girlfriend, Aimee Dubois. After the assault on Peck, Rufus is on the run from the police and cannot spend his End Day with his best friends, Tagoe Hayes and Malcolm Anthony. Mateo and Rufus make plans to meet. Mateo insists that Rufus pick him up at his apartment.

At 3:30 a.m., Rufus arrives at Mateo’s apartment. They begin their day with a visit to Mateo’s father in the hospital. After they see Mateo’s best friend, Lidia Vargas, they visit a Make-A-Moment virtual reality station to go skydiving. Finally, they visit Mateo’s mother in Evergreens Cemetery. Mateo sees that, alongside his mother’s grave, there is another grave being dug for Mateo. Mateo kneels beside his mother’s tombstone and tells her that he will be joining her soon. The more time Mateo and Rufus spend together, the bolder Mateo becomes and the deeper their friendship grows—there is an intense connection forming between them. Before leaving the cemetery, Mateo and Rufus chat about the afterlife while sitting inside Mateo’s freshly dug grave.

At 12:22 p.m., it is about halfway through Mateo and Rufus’ End Day. Mateo wants to visit the World Travel Arena; on the way there, they stop at a pier along the Hudson River, where Rufus contemplates the deaths of his parents and sister. Mateo hops on the back of Rufus’ bike, and together they ride to a nearby park. Mateo and Rufus meet up with Lidia again at the World Travel Arena, where the group selects the virtual reality experience to tour the world in 80 minutes. They travel to Australia, Iraq, Colombia, Egypt, China, and Puerto Rico, Mateo’s family’s country of origin. Afterward, Rufus and Lidia head to Clint’s Graveyard, a club for Deckers. Rufus posts a picture from the bar. Peck, who wants revenge after Rufus assaulted him, sees the picture and heads to Clint’s Graveyard with a loaded gun.

At 5:14 p.m., Mateo and Rufus perform a karaoke version of “American Pie” by Don McLean at Clint’s Graveyard, and everyone in the audience is moved by their performance. When the song ends, Mateo works up the courage to kiss Rufus. Tagoe, Malcolm, and Aimee arrive at Clint’s Graveyard to say their final goodbyes to Rufus, when Peck and his gang shows up. Peck goes to shoot Rufus, but commotion ensues and Mateo and Rufus manage to flee the club. Mateo and Rufus retreat to Mateo’s apartment, where they lie in bed and profess their love for one another—both wish they had met each other sooner. They fall asleep on Mateo’s bed, and Mateo wakes up from the nap before Rufus to make tea. When he goes to ignite the gas burner on the stove, the apartment erupts into flames. Mateo is killed instantly, and Rufus wakes up moments later, dazed in the smoke. Rufus is devastated by Mateo’s death. After Rufus says his goodbyes to Mateo’s corpse, the novel ends with Rufus putting on headphones so he can listen to a recording of Mateo’s voice as he crosses the street without checking for cars first.