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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Thankyou Net Galley and Atria Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review. Well I can’t say i Particuarly ‘enjoyed’ this due to the tough content but wow it was a fast paced thriller that I devoured in a day! There were parts that I really struggled to read and I skim read a page here and there as they were just brutal. I questioned whether I could carry on with it at 50% but then I just couldn’t stop thinking about it so I HAD to pick it up and carry on to find out what happens!!! The author creates the most oppressive and stifling atmosphere as we live on an isolated farm with ‘Jane’ (not her real name), a victim of human trafficking, and her vile jailor who basically keeps her as a slave. The author was quite unflinching with the details, and as a reader it’s disturbingly hard to look away from. I had a visceral reaction to the conditions and degradation she is subjected to in her captivity, and her situation became so much more urgent once her tiny premature baby comes along, Janes desperation becomes more palpable and almost suffocating. It really is a testimony to what we as humans are capable of surviving with the right mindset, and the strength we can find within us for our children provided a thread of hope throughout. I dropped a star as the ending did feel quite rushed and I would have liked to have learned more of the characters backstories! Nethertheless, a very tense and exciting debut. Pick this one up if you enjoy thrillers and can handle the darkest type, published April 20th!
‘...and I sit feeding my daughter and planning his death.’
‘...and I sit feeding my daughter and planning his death.’
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking
Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy
The Last Thing to Burn is a gut-punch.
I remember the first time I watched The Handmaid's Tale adaptation and thinking that as much as I am accustomed to instant gratification popularized by Netflix, some things are just not made for binging. Some things you can only take and digest in small doses because they are too hard, too strung out and too heavy to process otherwise.
This book is just like that.
Entire story spawns in a period of one year or so (it felt like 20) in an isolated farmhouse where Thanh Dao, who came to UK from Vietnam searching for a better job, lives the life stripped of everything, her family, her freedom, even her own name. There are only few precious possessions to remind her of her identity, but with every desperate act of rebellion she losses them one by one. And then another woman is thrown into this nightmare with her and she can't afford to lose the most precious thing she has.
Being tagged as claustrophobic thriller is really on point because the book is entirely told from Thanh's point of view. We are constantly in her head, privy to her anger, her despair, her powerlessness and her resilience, but closed along with her between walls of that damn farmhouse. Following a hellish everyday experience of an abused woman held in captivity, it's what makes this story so entirely focused on victim and it doesn't give a moment of a reprieve to reader at all. You are in constant state of discomfort, with clenched stomach, because in this book the small things are what counts as suspense, with constant "oh, my god, what can she do now?!" questions. The reality of dinner not being made in time, of not having basic hygienic products, of chains and constant pain are in this setting things that have a gravity of insurmountable obstacles. Of course, that's fitting because captive victims don't have a moment of reprieve nor the luxury of simply... not worrying, but that's what makes it hard to process. The other thing that made me leave the book for some time because I was so angry, is Lenn, the captor. He is vile. Pure evil. But not in cartoonish, moustache curling way- he is simply undeterred in his decision to bring misery to the woman he threats in the worst way possible. He rationalize the irrational, he forces himself on her in more ways than just the obvious one and he made my blood boil.
I took the star off because, as much as I hated reading it, the simplicity and the realistic scenario of the situation was what made Thanh's thoughts compelling. But that ending twist, the feather in every thriller writer's hat, had to happen and oddly, I found it unnecessary. I always found the unexplained wrongness of antagonist in a thriller novel far more interesting and a point better made than the necessity to give some backstory that would explain why they do evil things.
I never read Dean's Tuva Moodyson Mystery series, but I'll have to correct that. I like that he sometimes brings the lyrical, moody and sombre cadence to his storytelling and he's not afraid to go dark. And I imagine putting himself in the head of an abused woman in an effort to tell her story was not an easy task to do, but I found he'd done it with much thought and preparation, seriousness and respect her story deserves.
Recommended, but with caution: all the triggers apply.
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Will Dean for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book!
I remember the first time I watched The Handmaid's Tale adaptation and thinking that as much as I am accustomed to instant gratification popularized by Netflix, some things are just not made for binging. Some things you can only take and digest in small doses because they are too hard, too strung out and too heavy to process otherwise.
This book is just like that.
Entire story spawns in a period of one year or so (it felt like 20) in an isolated farmhouse where Thanh Dao, who came to UK from Vietnam searching for a better job, lives the life stripped of everything, her family, her freedom, even her own name. There are only few precious possessions to remind her of her identity, but with every desperate act of rebellion she losses them one by one. And then another woman is thrown into this nightmare with her and she can't afford to lose the most precious thing she has.
Being tagged as claustrophobic thriller is really on point because the book is entirely told from Thanh's point of view. We are constantly in her head, privy to her anger, her despair, her powerlessness and her resilience, but closed along with her between walls of that damn farmhouse. Following a hellish everyday experience of an abused woman held in captivity, it's what makes this story so entirely focused on victim and it doesn't give a moment of a reprieve to reader at all. You are in constant state of discomfort, with clenched stomach, because in this book the small things are what counts as suspense, with constant "oh, my god, what can she do now?!" questions. The reality of dinner not being made in time, of not having basic hygienic products, of chains and constant pain are in this setting things that have a gravity of insurmountable obstacles. Of course, that's fitting because captive victims don't have a moment of reprieve nor the luxury of simply... not worrying, but that's what makes it hard to process. The other thing that made me leave the book for some time because I was so angry, is Lenn, the captor. He is vile. Pure evil. But not in cartoonish, moustache curling way- he is simply undeterred in his decision to bring misery to the woman he threats in the worst way possible. He rationalize the irrational, he forces himself on her in more ways than just the obvious one and he made my blood boil.
I took the star off because, as much as I hated reading it, the simplicity and the realistic scenario of the situation was what made Thanh's thoughts compelling. But that ending twist, the feather in every thriller writer's hat, had to happen and oddly, I found it unnecessary. I always found the unexplained wrongness of antagonist in a thriller novel far more interesting and a point better made than the necessity to give some backstory that would explain why they do evil things.
I never read Dean's Tuva Moodyson Mystery series, but I'll have to correct that. I like that he sometimes brings the lyrical, moody and sombre cadence to his storytelling and he's not afraid to go dark. And I imagine putting himself in the head of an abused woman in an effort to tell her story was not an easy task to do, but I found he'd done it with much thought and preparation, seriousness and respect her story deserves.
Recommended, but with caution: all the triggers apply.
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Will Dean for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book!
Dark, devastating and visceral. I struggled to know what rating to give this book. A tense and disturbing look at the plight of trafficked people. Not for the faint hearted, the depictions of injury and recovery were extremely difficult to read in places. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, the writing had me hooked from start to finish. I will be thinking about this story for a long time to come.
My March Buddy read was one I honestly couldn’t put down. A shorter read, you could easily get through this in one sitting if you had the time, it took me two.
I find a thriller can always be a little hit or miss but with this book you are kept in constant suspense of the next horror inflicted on Jane (that’s not her name), are kept reading especially toward the end to find out what happens - to hope for the best outcome. I was truly gripped.
This isn’t a story you’re supposed to enjoy, a story of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking but a story about the strength to survive it all.
I felt everything for and with Jane (that’s not her name) and was perplexed by the man who kept her captive.
His back story is one I would love to know more about, what happens to a man to make him like that? You’re given hints and snippets and obviously this story is not about him but you can’t help but wonder what makes a monster.
I find a thriller can always be a little hit or miss but with this book you are kept in constant suspense of the next horror inflicted on Jane (that’s not her name), are kept reading especially toward the end to find out what happens - to hope for the best outcome. I was truly gripped.
This isn’t a story you’re supposed to enjoy, a story of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking but a story about the strength to survive it all.
I felt everything for and with Jane (that’s not her name) and was perplexed by the man who kept her captive.
His back story is one I would love to know more about, what happens to a man to make him like that? You’re given hints and snippets and obviously this story is not about him but you can’t help but wonder what makes a monster.
Ok wow. What do I even say about this book? I chose this on a whim when browsing through audiobooks and boy am I glad I did. The synopsis sounded good, but it far exceeded any expectations I had for it.
I am a slow reader. I have kids that constantly take up my time and I have to read on my free time. Audiobooks are a little easier because I can still get housework done and therefore get a little more reading time in, but I still can’t usually listen for long. So the fact that I finished this book in a day should tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I wanted to go to bed with 2.5 hours left, but each chapter was such a cliffhanger that I ended up accidentally listening to one more chapter, one more chapter… for another 2.5 hours. I stayed up way past my bedtime and now l’m paying for it today. I’m a total zombie, but it was worth it.
I haven’t been able to finish a book this quickly in so long. I literally can’t remember the last time I finished a book in a day.
This is basically a fictionalization on human trafficking. Jane moved to the U.S. from Vietnam and ends up running into some bad luck which gets her to meet with the wrong guy who inevitably takes her back home as a slave. She’s been trapped there for years. But when she has a baby and he takes a new victim, she decides she has one last chance to escape. Can she do it?
I really enjoyed Room and other books I’ve read where people are held captive. The plot sounded so interesting, which is what ultimately drew me to the book.
The characters were so well written. Len is a despicable character, and you can’t help but hate him. Jane, who’s name isn’t really Jane, is such a lost and innocent soul who has nothing left in the world except for the handful of possessions she’s been allowed to keep but a new one gets burned with every little infraction she commits. You learn her story as the book progresses, and you find your heart breaking for all the hardship she had to endure.
Each character he introduces has a purpose, and you have a range of emotions for all of them. When you find something out at the end, something about Jane’s sister, you’re left shook. You feel like the story can go one of two ways. Either she escapes, or she doesn’t. But the author still manages to throw a twist in there that will rattle you.
I didn’t want the book to end. Every time a chapter ended I had to keep reading so I could figure out what would happen next.
I will definitely be looking out for anything else this author writes.
This is a 4.5 star rounded up. I did knock a half star off because I had one minor issue with something in the story that wasn’t fully explained.
I am a slow reader. I have kids that constantly take up my time and I have to read on my free time. Audiobooks are a little easier because I can still get housework done and therefore get a little more reading time in, but I still can’t usually listen for long. So the fact that I finished this book in a day should tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I wanted to go to bed with 2.5 hours left, but each chapter was such a cliffhanger that I ended up accidentally listening to one more chapter, one more chapter… for another 2.5 hours. I stayed up way past my bedtime and now l’m paying for it today. I’m a total zombie, but it was worth it.
I haven’t been able to finish a book this quickly in so long. I literally can’t remember the last time I finished a book in a day.
This is basically a fictionalization on human trafficking. Jane moved to the U.S. from Vietnam and ends up running into some bad luck which gets her to meet with the wrong guy who inevitably takes her back home as a slave. She’s been trapped there for years. But when she has a baby and he takes a new victim, she decides she has one last chance to escape. Can she do it?
I really enjoyed Room and other books I’ve read where people are held captive. The plot sounded so interesting, which is what ultimately drew me to the book.
The characters were so well written. Len is a despicable character, and you can’t help but hate him. Jane, who’s name isn’t really Jane, is such a lost and innocent soul who has nothing left in the world except for the handful of possessions she’s been allowed to keep but a new one gets burned with every little infraction she commits. You learn her story as the book progresses, and you find your heart breaking for all the hardship she had to endure.
Each character he introduces has a purpose, and you have a range of emotions for all of them. When you find something out at the end, something about Jane’s sister, you’re left shook. You feel like the story can go one of two ways. Either she escapes, or she doesn’t. But the author still manages to throw a twist in there that will rattle you.
I didn’t want the book to end. Every time a chapter ended I had to keep reading so I could figure out what would happen next.
I will definitely be looking out for anything else this author writes.
This is a 4.5 star rounded up. I did knock a half star off because I had one minor issue with something in the story that wasn’t fully explained.
dark
medium-paced
*3.5 stars*
Seriously. Reading characters with survival instinct like this fascinates me, I would simply give up all hope immediately. Hope is a powerful thing!
Seriously. Reading characters with survival instinct like this fascinates me, I would simply give up all hope immediately. Hope is a powerful thing!