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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A tense, taught, thriller. Will Dean ratchets up the tension on each page of this short novel.
Our protagonist, Thanh, a Vietnamese immigrant is being kept by a truly evil man, Lenn. Thanh gets pregnant, plus another woman comes into Lenn's possession, escape is the only option.
There are so many choices Dean makes that I love and really add to making this novel great. From not describing Lenn, letting our minds fill in the gaps. From Thanh constantly reminding the reader that her name is not Jane (what Lenn insists on calling her) and that everything Lenn gives her was his mother's (also Jane, huh!). And once Lenn decides that their daughter isn't a Mary but a Janey, Thanh decides now is the time to go!
Even the title is a great use of wording, as Lenn burns Thanh's possessions as punishment. As the final objects are burned, we know it's time to escape, but there's more to it!
Not to mention the scene at the pig barn, holy shit!
Our protagonist, Thanh, a Vietnamese immigrant is being kept by a truly evil man, Lenn. Thanh gets pregnant, plus another woman comes into Lenn's possession, escape is the only option.
There are so many choices Dean makes that I love and really add to making this novel great. From not describing Lenn, letting our minds fill in the gaps. From Thanh constantly reminding the reader that her name is not Jane (what Lenn insists on calling her) and that everything Lenn gives her was his mother's (also Jane, huh!). And once Lenn decides that their daughter isn't a Mary but a Janey, Thanh decides now is the time to go!
Even the title is a great use of wording, as Lenn burns Thanh's possessions as punishment. As the final objects are burned, we know it's time to escape, but there's more to it!
Not to mention the scene at the pig barn, holy shit!
This was not a bad storyline, and it certainly pointed out how human trafficking can easily take place in isolated areas, with no one to notice.
I thought I would go insane with all the repetition the author used in writing. For goodness sake, we CAN actually remember details from the chapter before, repeated from the third chapter before, and from the sixth chapter before.............all using the exact same words each time in the description and details!
I thought I would go insane with all the repetition the author used in writing. For goodness sake, we CAN actually remember details from the chapter before, repeated from the third chapter before, and from the sixth chapter before.............all using the exact same words each time in the description and details!
Mehh it was okay. Just wasn’t crZy about the writing style. It was written by a man so maybe that’s why lol
It’s about a kidnapping and there’s 3 women. Two are sisters who are held for years on the same farm only like 20 feet from each other and they have no idea the whole time. The third one was a newer woman that he kept in the basement. In the end, they all got away and burn the house down with him in it.
It’s about a kidnapping and there’s 3 women. Two are sisters who are held for years on the same farm only like 20 feet from each other and they have no idea the whole time. The third one was a newer woman that he kept in the basement. In the end, they all got away and burn the house down with him in it.
Uncomfortable and disturbing. Makes for hard reading.
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Objectively speaking, this is a well written dark, tense thriller that leaves the reader feeling just as suffocated and trapped as the main character. The narrative and setting reflect each other well; nothing wasted, tightly controlled, gets the job done, and yet highly effective. I can see why people who enjoy this genre would rave about this book.
However, I'm not one of those people. This is a genre that I don't generally pick up, not because I'm triggered by anything within, but more just because I use reading as an escape to fantasy land, which this definitely isn't. My star rating reflects my subjective feelings; while it was a good read and I could digest it quickly, I couldn't derive any enjoyment or pleasure from it.
I didn't think there was much depth to the book; while the main character's backstory is clear, the motivations of her "husband" remain shrouded in mystery. In no way would any tragic backstory redeem him and he is clearly a bad person, but the gap left me with more questions than answers; is he perpetuating the cycle? Is he emulating his father, or did he have a weird obsession with his mother? Was he 'normal' with his first wife? If so, what made him turn? There are tantalising glimpses, but not enough to garner the feeling of full on, villain levels of hatred and disgust in the reader, which is definitely what you should be feeling for this man!!
Likewise, there are some plot points and actions that occur with little to no explanation, that make very little sense to me. They're clearly necessary for the story to move forward, but again it feels like there are big gaps left while the story moves on. I'm not saying everything needs explanation down to the tiniest detail, but in this case it seems to me that just too many details are missing.
I found the climax to be both exactly what you would be hoping for, and yet very underwhelming. Again, the lack of detail just leaves it wanting. In my head, the last moment of the main story should have been a last look back over the farmland, illuminated by the glow of embers and with the sound of crackling wood... this would still leave it up to the reader's imagination so there's nothing graphic, but would have given it the finality the story deserved. As it is, it's all inferred. And then the epilogue just feels too 'easy' and, oddly, seems to me to be the least realistic part of the book...
This book was recommended to me by my Mum. I am really glad she found a book she could devour quickly, and I'm so grateful I get to share the experience with her, even if it's not to the same degree.
However, I'm not one of those people. This is a genre that I don't generally pick up, not because I'm triggered by anything within, but more just because I use reading as an escape to fantasy land, which this definitely isn't. My star rating reflects my subjective feelings; while it was a good read and I could digest it quickly, I couldn't derive any enjoyment or pleasure from it.
I didn't think there was much depth to the book; while the main character's backstory is clear, the motivations of her "husband" remain shrouded in mystery. In no way would any tragic backstory redeem him and he is clearly a bad person, but the gap left me with more questions than answers; is he perpetuating the cycle? Is he emulating his father, or did he have a weird obsession with his mother? Was he 'normal' with his first wife? If so, what made him turn? There are tantalising glimpses, but not enough to garner the feeling of full on, villain levels of hatred and disgust in the reader, which is definitely what you should be feeling for this man!!
Likewise, there are some plot points and actions that occur with little to no explanation, that make very little sense to me. They're clearly necessary for the story to move forward, but again it feels like there are big gaps left while the story moves on. I'm not saying everything needs explanation down to the tiniest detail, but in this case it seems to me that just too many details are missing.
This book was recommended to me by my Mum. I am really glad she found a book she could devour quickly, and I'm so grateful I get to share the experience with her, even if it's not to the same degree.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was good. Very descriptive but I just didn’t love it a lot for some reason.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There should be trigger-warnings for “The Last Thing to Burn”. The book shows several ways of physical, sexual and emotional violence and abuse. That said, this is a creepy story about human trafficking and sexual slavery.
We start the book with Jane (her real name is Thanh Dao) who is running. She can’t get far because of her hurting ankle and is soon found by Len. He has been keeping her captive for the past years, on his remote farm. Thanh Dao and her sister have been brought to England illegally, as refugees from Vietnam. Smuggled by human traffickers and sold as sex slaves.
Len is a repulsive, despicable man, who gets worse and worse, especially because he breaks Thanh Dao’s self-worth. The title of the book refers to the punishment to burn her personal belongings one by one, so she will behave. We see everything from Thanh Dao’s perspective and some decisions Len makes seem a but strange. Especially the motive in the second half of the book, where not an illegal refugee but a local is being held. Overall, it is not very credible that this man is even on one side of a human smuggling and slavery operation.
When I started this book, I was intrigued and sucked in. It felt like a book I was going to love. But that changed drastically. At one point in the book, it feels like you’re reading the same thing over and over again. It becomes repetitive and I lost interest. Len obviously has some sort of English accent or dialect, which I found very strange to read. He left out certain words, or something like that. I found it unpleasant to read. It read like a Vietnamese refugee spoke better and more fluent English then the actual Englishman. It really bothered me.
With that, the book was predictable. I was expecting some twist or a great finale, but nothing like that happened. The story was mostly about Thanh Dao’s survival and how she survived all this time by hanging on to her memories. Which is a beautiful thing, of course, but it never grabbed me. I felt like the author, Will Dean, was building up to something, but we never got there. “The Last Thing to Burn” dragged and felt so long for a pretty short book.
This story had such potential, but didn’t use it to the fullest. I feel bad to rate it this low, since it has a very high average rating on GoodReads. I just didn’t enjoy this book.
We start the book with Jane (her real name is Thanh Dao) who is running. She can’t get far because of her hurting ankle and is soon found by Len. He has been keeping her captive for the past years, on his remote farm. Thanh Dao and her sister have been brought to England illegally, as refugees from Vietnam. Smuggled by human traffickers and sold as sex slaves.
Len is a repulsive, despicable man, who gets worse and worse, especially because he breaks Thanh Dao’s self-worth. The title of the book refers to the punishment to burn her personal belongings one by one, so she will behave. We see everything from Thanh Dao’s perspective and some decisions Len makes seem a but strange. Especially the motive in the second half of the book, where not an illegal refugee but a local is being held. Overall, it is not very credible that this man is even on one side of a human smuggling and slavery operation.
When I started this book, I was intrigued and sucked in. It felt like a book I was going to love. But that changed drastically. At one point in the book, it feels like you’re reading the same thing over and over again. It becomes repetitive and I lost interest. Len obviously has some sort of English accent or dialect, which I found very strange to read. He left out certain words, or something like that. I found it unpleasant to read. It read like a Vietnamese refugee spoke better and more fluent English then the actual Englishman. It really bothered me.
With that, the book was predictable. I was expecting some twist or a great finale, but nothing like that happened. The story was mostly about Thanh Dao’s survival and how she survived all this time by hanging on to her memories. Which is a beautiful thing, of course, but it never grabbed me. I felt like the author, Will Dean, was building up to something, but we never got there. “The Last Thing to Burn” dragged and felt so long for a pretty short book.
This story had such potential, but didn’t use it to the fullest. I feel bad to rate it this low, since it has a very high average rating on GoodReads. I just didn’t enjoy this book.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated