The Last
The Last
By Hanna Jameson
No Spoilers I swear!
Believe it or not but The Last by Hanna Jameson was my first thriller book that I have ever read and what else can I say other than it was, spectacular.
It was disturbing, gripping and very clever. It was like an Agatha Christie book, although I've only seen the TV shows and not got round to reading the book yet. I got that sense of feeling that what I was reading was gonna influence so much more.
This is Jameson's debut novel and I picked it up in Waterstones after I saw it advertised on Twitter. I was quite reluctant to buy this book because like I said, I've never read a thriller before this one. Anyway, I thought I'd branch out and give this book a go and I'm so glad I did, even if I did lose sleep.
The novel takes place in a Swiss hotel where only twenty strangers remain, there has been a nuclear attack and as far as the people in the hotel are concerned. There the last of the human race. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere, in a forest. The story follows Jon, an American, who writes about each passing day in the hotel, he was a history teacher before the end of the world and feels a need to write down each day, to document the on goings in case anyone finds them. As the days go on you get to meet a range of characters from all areas of the world. Characters who have such a realistic feel to them that you feel what they feel. Then one unfortunate day Jon finds the body. The body of someone who no one in the hotel seems to remember. It looks like murder and Jon is convinced that the killer is still at the hotel. Jon beings to investigate and as his investigation develops the more danger he's in, everyone becomes a suspect, everyone has something to hide.
Throughout this novel my heart thumped in anticipation, I needed to know what happened to the victim which kept me up most nights. This dystopian world what Jameson has created is so believable that you can see into our own future which is scare and nerve wracking, it also makes you appreciate the smaller things and not to take things for granted.
The hotel itself is creepy and to me I imagine it as a Gothic building, something out of Northanger Abbey, Jane Eyre and The Shinning, you get that feeling that in the light of day there is nothing to fear, yet in the night you daren't leave your room.
What I love the most about this book is that you explore this world through Jon's eyes, and Jon is honest and an unlikely hero among the other people in the hotel. He is sensitive, vulnerable and can be an arsehole and he isn't afraid to admit it. He is described as a Mr Jones (Indiana Jones) but more of a dweeb. Jon struggles with his morals and as he looks deeper into the hotels past he begins to believe that he is going crazy, he becomes more reckless and less rational. This is really interesting as your experiencing this character at all angles, the good, the bad and the most ugly.
People who are interested in Agatha Christie, Stephen King, the Walking Dead series will love this book as it really makes you think. And I can honestly say that a book has never made me think before. This is a really great book with great twists and turns that make you gasp. It's one of those books that once its finished you try and split the paper to see if there is more.
Truly a great book that I would love to see develop into a film or a 3 part TV series. Yes I think its that good. So go and buy it from the nearest bookshop now!
Rating out of 5: 5*, I'd of given it a 6 if I could.
After all tomorrow day is another day spent reading,
Till next time,
Phoebe x