This is a stirring novel of survival and the strong bond between Father and Son. The first couple of chapters mostly consist of exposition provided by Sven telling Fren about the status of the world. It would be dry in a badly written book, but this avoids that.

Instead, Sven tells Fren about the world that was in the form of oral stories. In a world that is deprived of books, technology, and many other ways to recall the past, this society reverts to one of the earliest forms, storytelling. Sven is well-practiced using terms like “the Blight,” “parasites,” and “the Downpour” as indicators of what might have happened in the past, but without documentation they, and by extension we Readers, are left to their interpretations of what happened in the past. What was history has now passed into legend and ultimately myth. It is a world that has long grown used to this normal. It is uncertain how long ago the world changed, but long enough for Sven to have no memories outside of the oral history that he was told and in turn shared with Fren.

There is a strong sense of survival. From the moment that Sven and Fren face some opposing villagers to their final confrontation inside a kingdom-sized cult, the father and son exhibit a “kill or be killed” mentality. They live a hard, difficult life in which they have to fight against animals, other humans, even former friends and family members.

When survival, fighting for food, shelter, or protection, anyone can be an enemy. You can feel threatened just by someone approaching you. If you have a last scrap of meat and no laws, morals, ethics, or any type of society that surrounds you, you will fight to the death anyone who wants to steal that meat. All you care about is that you are starving and they want what you have.

The society in The Young is an agrarian society that has deteriorated into small enclaves or tribes, mostly just specific families and even they can be divided. We learn that Sven’s wife and Fren’s mother was “sick” and left them. They don't seem to miss her very much as a loving wife and mother. They are so desensitized to the world around them that the mother's disappearance is just another example of a life and union that ended too quickly, just one of those things.

We also learn that Fren’s brother Dason has also disappeared. While they are glad to see him again, the reunion is cut short. Dason has followed a new path and no longer recognizes his father and brother.

Despite The Young carrying a theme of survival through adversity and decline in society, it is not completely dour. Heart and warmth lie within the relationship between Sven and Fren. Sven defends his son when he is under attack. Fren fights many warriors in defense of his father. They tease each other about their ages and experience, but it's clear there is love between them. Their affection and support strengthen and pull each other through this hard post-Apocalyptic life. Lacking anything else in life, all they have is each other.

The Young is dark with its theme of survival but light with the love between its deuteragonists. It shows even during the worst times, it's important to have someone to hold onto, care for, guide, help, and love.