S&S Book Club: Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me
Carol, Jen, and Lida chat about Tina’s pick: Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me
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Why Tina Picked It
I chose The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave after seeing the trailer for the Apple TV mini-series. The initial setting of this book is a houseboat community in Sausalito California. I have always loved the idea of living on a houseboat—generally, I am drawn to unusual living arrangements. The scenes of this quaint community whet my appetite. Not one to watch before reading, I immediately requested the book from my library.
Hannah Hall needs to find out why her husband, Owen Michaels, disappeared on the heels of a scandal at his company. She doesn’t believe he left because he was guilty, but doesn’t trust anyone’s help. She teams up with her recalcitrant stepdaughter to retrace his history and to prove his innocence. Hannah is determined to protect her stepdaughter as her husband requested and together they attempt to unknot the mystery of who Owen Michaels really is.
The Last Thing He Told Me held my attention from start to finish. Each chapter was full of suspense, but it didn’t feel like the usual type of suspense. It was more subtle than I’ve seen in many books. It had twists and turns and the usual big reveal, but it felt more like a drama—a story about people and their lives. I connected with the main character, Hannah, but I had a little more trouble understanding the daughter. However, over the course of the book, I got invested in both their plights.
It is written with clean crisp prose, and is a heart-felt, easy read. It moved quickly but without that artificial feeling of breathlessness.
I have still not watched the series. I would love to know how it holds up. Please let me know in the comments.
What Lida Thought
What an intricate plot! Like Tina said, The Last Thing He Told Me held my attention the entire way, and it was a fast read. Filled with intrigue, I wanted to know what happened to the missing Owen. Hannah turns out to be quite an expert in piecing clues together amid twists and turns that lead her to finding the answers she’s seeking. In some parts, she is a genius at figuring things out. I admired her dedication to Owen, and her loyalty and determination to protect her stepdaughter, Bailey. Besides the mystery, what held my interest was the unfolding relationship between Hannah and Bailey, which was handily resolved in the end. However, having read the book, I’m not sure yet if I’ll watch the series. Again, like Tina, I’d like to know if it holds its own.
What Carol Thought
I’m usually very disciplined in doing my exercises, walking, and writing. But the morning I started reading The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave, my daily routine and all that day’s plans went out the window. I stayed at the breakfast table and read until I finished it later in the afternoon. A masterful, suspense-filled mystery with love and family at its core, packed full of twists and turns, I found The Last Thing He Told Me un-put-downable.
What Jen Thought
Most writers I know have spent a lot of time wringing their hands about genre expectations. New authors preparing query letters to agents are always insisting their books defy genre (we all like to think we are different), but the truth is, genre matters, because it’s about setting the reader up to love what you wrote.
If you pick up a new book expecting it to be a humorous memoir and it’s a romance, you might not enjoy it, even if it’s a great book. You, as the reader, didn’t get what you expected.
Like Tina and Lida, I picked The Last Thing He Told Me up expecting a domestic thriller, but it turned out to be a family drama. The writing was lush, and I was invested in the family at stake, but I didn’t get the twist I was waiting for at the end.
I wanted an I-never-saw-it-coming wrap up, and instead the resolution was that life is messy. Fitting for a family drama, but not what I was expecting. I’m curious if the adaptation keeps the ending or finds a different closure for the piece.
Have you read or watched The Last Thing He Told Me? Let us know what you thought in the comments.
