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A review by henrymarlene
The Last Guests by J.P. Pomare
4.0
“If you want the truth of the matter, it’s already out there”.
It’s not often you come across a book that is menacing and could seem true to life. When you think about the ways in which social media and cameras infiltrate our almost every move, “The Last Guests” could seem plausible. J.P.Pomare has done it again with introducing us to Lina and Cain. Lina is a paramedic and we meet her via a one night stand with Daniel, whom she meets on a dating app. We also get a glimpse into a strange set up, unbeknownst to Lina. She is married to Cain, a former NZ SAS officer who seems to be struggling with some PTSD and getting back into civilian live. Struggling for cash, and with more than a few issues between them, decide to open Lina’s family home to the public for holiday rentals. Through peepholes we catch glimpses of their lives in the past, and connections and in-between in the present –like a quick, narrow viewpoint. Through a different kind of peephole, we watch the drama unfold through hidden cameras. Lina is hard to warm to and it think this is key in the story and motivation of this book. There are so many secrets attached to Lina, and it builds and builds until everything is sucked into the vortex. She seems to be a fighter, yet at the same time is naïve. Her back story of her mother and grandpa is sprinkled throughout, and this is where more depth could have helped her character along. And really, not one character is without blame. And I think that us what adds to the ‘realism’ of the plot. Plus it was fabulous to read about Tawarera, and New Zealand.
It’s not often you come across a book that is menacing and could seem true to life. When you think about the ways in which social media and cameras infiltrate our almost every move, “The Last Guests” could seem plausible. J.P.Pomare has done it again with introducing us to Lina and Cain. Lina is a paramedic and we meet her via a one night stand with Daniel, whom she meets on a dating app. We also get a glimpse into a strange set up, unbeknownst to Lina. She is married to Cain, a former NZ SAS officer who seems to be struggling with some PTSD and getting back into civilian live. Struggling for cash, and with more than a few issues between them, decide to open Lina’s family home to the public for holiday rentals. Through peepholes we catch glimpses of their lives in the past, and connections and in-between in the present –like a quick, narrow viewpoint. Through a different kind of peephole, we watch the drama unfold through hidden cameras. Lina is hard to warm to and it think this is key in the story and motivation of this book. There are so many secrets attached to Lina, and it builds and builds until everything is sucked into the vortex. She seems to be a fighter, yet at the same time is naïve. Her back story of her mother and grandpa is sprinkled throughout, and this is where more depth could have helped her character along. And really, not one character is without blame. And I think that us what adds to the ‘realism’ of the plot. Plus it was fabulous to read about Tawarera, and New Zealand.