Hanna Jameson
The Last is a curious genre-spanning novel which works surprisingly well. Guests and staff at a remote Swiss hotel are blindsided by the news of nuclear strikes on Washington and London, and those who don’t immediately flee decide that they’re safer staying where they are, away from population centres that may also be targeted. In their investigation of the hotel, they find the body of a little girl, and come to the realisation that the murderer may still be among them.
The story unfolds in the form of the chronicles of Jon Keller, an American historian, but his subjective point of view in no way spares his own flaws. As forms of communication fall away, the sanctuary of the hotel becomes increasingly claustrophobic, and paranoia begins to set in. Can Jon trust his fellow residents, and can they trust him? Do societal morals and laws from before the apocalypse still apply? Who gets to decide, and who gets to enforce them?
Set in a political atmosphere very similar to our current world, The Last is an enthralling combination of social commentary, dystopian thriller, and murder mystery, which I very much enjoyed.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
