He is her husband. She is his captive.
Her husband calls her Jane. That is not her name.
She lives in a small farm cottage, surrounded by vast, open fields. Everywhere she looks, there is space. But she is trapped. No one knows how she got to the UK: no one knows she is there. Visitors rarely come to the farm; if they do, she is never seen.
Her husband records her every movement during the day. If he doesn’t like what he sees, she is punished.
For a long time, escape seemed impossible. But now, something has changed. She has a reason to live and a reason to fight. Now, she is watching him, and waiting . . .
One thing that i absolutely adored about The Last Thing To Burn was the I teeth grittingly toxicity between the characters. Early on we see that there is one shout – at – book worthy antagonist and a must protect fragile protagonist. Bit by bit we see Lenn chipping away at his wife Jane’s identity in manipulative and controlling ways. Through these acts we become to understand that identity isn’t always just who we are but the things that constantly remind us of who we are. As this torture continues and the storyline begins to unfold, we begin to further sympathise with our protagonist.
The last thing to burn has believable three dimensional characters, placed into a situation that is chilling , and soberingly lausible. I was quite surprised by the poignancy of Jane’s narrative, It always surprises me how a character can strike you in the heart unexpectedly. But isn’t that the sign of a well written character? I think so. With every chapter, I rooted more for Jane and detested Lenn that little bit more. Will Dean has executed a perfectly thrilling yet emotively balanced novel, one that focuses on the individuals between the pages yet for me they also made the plot – that perfect partnership between both left me captivated and needing more.
The Last Thing To Burn is definitely a difficult book to put down and an easy book to pick up! The concept of this novel is a harrowing one, drenched with the shocking factors of some peoples real life situations. With each chapter i found myself sneaking further to the edge of my seat, the suspense and tension filled writing had me flying through the pages and feeling every gut-wrenching emotion Jane felt. The writing is just insanely great!
Will has created a scorching thriller that incorporates themes of identity, loss and possession, told through a female voice that will blow you away. This was the first novel I had read from Will Dean and of course I bought the first book in the Tuva series immediately afterwards.
Thanks again to Jenny Platt for sending me out a proof copy of this hotly anticipated 2021 thriller!
The Reading Closet 