How would you react at the end of the world?
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The blurb
Breaking: Nuclear weapon detonates over Washington
Breaking: London hit, thousands feared dead
Breaking: Munich and Scotland hit. World leaders call for calm
Historian Jon Keller is on a trip to Switzerland when the world ends. As the lights go out on civilization, he wishes he had a way of knowing whether his wife, Nadia and their two daughters are still alive. More than anything, Jon wishes he hadn't ignored Nadia's last message.
Twenty people remain in Jon's hotel. Far from the nearest city and walled in by towering trees, they wait, they survive.
Then one day, the body of a young girl is found. It's clear she has been murdered. Which means that someone in the hotel is a killer.
As paranoia descends, Jon decides to investigate. But how far is he willing to go in pursuit of justice? And what kind of justice can he hope for, when society as he knows it no longer exists?
The Review
Turns out I am quite the morose little creature, because recently I have found myself really loving anything with a post-apocalyptic theme to it. Perhaps its just because, at the moment, it really isn't too much of a stretch of the imagination, that something like this could happen. I also love books that look at how people react when the world as they know it has been ripped out from under their feet. When there is no more information sharing online, no instant communication at our fingertips and no governments or societal structures left to protect people. It's so interesting to think how people might react once they really have to fight for their own survival.
In 'The Last' we are immediately into the action, as while at breakfast in a hotel in Switzerland, the news breaks around our protagonist Jon, that several nuclear weapons have gone off around the world. Inevitably within hours all forms of communication are cut off and there is no way of knowing whether anyone else has made it, or if the inhabitants of the hotel are all that is left.
Throw into all of this, that they discover the body of a girl (in an eerily similar discovery to that of the real life disappearance of Elisa Lam - tip, don't go following that one if you're easily creeped out!) and you have end of the world drama tied up with a classic murder mystery - really what's not to like?!
Jameson's writing is fantastic. There are quite a lot of characters to get your head around, especially in the beginning but she does a great job of slowly introducing them and helping you to keep their identities and alliances clear. (And the alliances are going to turn out to be really important....)
Genuinely chilling in parts as the author manages to explore the whole range of emotions that humans are likely to go through when faced with 'the end of the world'. It was devastatingly sad to consider the people who give up almost straight away. The great thing about these survivors all staying in a hotel together was that it acts like a microcosm of society, and amongst this defined group we get to see all the different ways people react and what they value under these circumstances.
The protagonist Jon, is (deliberately I think) a bit of a sanctimonious idiot sometimes, but for the most part he comes across as a reliable narrator, despite the assertions of some of the other residents that he is starting to lose the plot. The friendships built between some of the characters felt really genuine and it was easy to understand how strong bonds could be made under such circumstances.
There are some really horrifying moments as the darker side of what humans will do to survive is uncovered (think about what they might turn to, to eat, when there is nothing else available and try not to vomit in your own hands) but none of this goes into explicit detail.
It's just sufficiently harrowing enough, but there is also plenty of uplifting moments and real warmth and humour amongst the survivors. The only down side was the ending, which seemed in a bit of a rush to wrap itself up and the final explanation of the murder was unsatisfactory for me.
If you enjoy anything mildly post-apocalyptic, or dystopian, with a real focus on relationships and human interactions, this will be right up your alley.
The Last was released on 31st Jan 2019 by Penguin Books (UK).
Big thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.