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The Last Thing to Burn
7 hours, 15 minutes
A woman being held captive is willing to risk everything to save herself, her unborn child, and her captor’s latest victim in this claustrophobic thriller in the tradition of Misery and Room.
On an isolated farm in the United Kingdom, a woman is trapped by the monster who kidnapped her seven years ago. When she discovers she is pregnant, she resolves to protect her child no matter the cost, and starts to meticulously plan her escape. But when another woman is brought into the fold on the farm, her plans go awry. Can she save herself, her child, and this innocent woman at the same time? Or is she doomed to spend the remainder of her life captive on this farm?
Intense, dark, and utterly gripping The Last Thing to Burn is a breathtaking thriller from an author to watch.
A woman being held captive is willing to risk everything to save herself, her unborn child, and her captor’s latest victim in this claustrophobic thriller in the tradition of Misery and Room.
On an isolated farm in the United Kingdom, a woman is trapped by the monster who kidnapped her seven years ago. When she discovers she is pregnant, she resolves to protect her child no matter the cost, and starts to meticulously plan her escape. But when another woman is brought into the fold on the farm, her plans go awry. Can she save herself, her child, and this innocent woman at the same time? Or is she doomed to spend the remainder of her life captive on this farm?
Intense, dark, and utterly gripping The Last Thing to Burn is a breathtaking thriller from an author to watch.
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First published January 21, 2021
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About the author
Will Dean
22 books1,578 followersWill Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. He was a bookish, daydreaming kid who found comfort in stories and nature (and he still does). After studying Law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden. He built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. He is the author of Dark Pines.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,584 reviews
December 20, 2023
Jane, not her actual name, is being held captive by Lenn. As a refugee, she has no one to turn to and is threatened that her sister will be sent back if she tries any "funny business." Will Jane ever be free of Lenn? How will this story end?
Often times, it is said that an author needs to show and not tell. For example, instead of saying X was horrible, the author should describe the experience and allow the reader to conclude that the situation is horrible. This is a textbook example of an author showing the reader how awful the situation is. This book is raw, dark, and gritty. It is not a mystery but a thriller. The reader is constantly kept in suspense and wondering what the outcomes will be. The author has beautifully captured the emotions and terror of Jane as if we were sitting along beside her.
However, this book was a bit slow moving for my style. It also reminded me of Even Silence Has An End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle which was a true story. However, The Last Thing to Burn is fiction and wasn't bounded by sticking to an established set of facts and stirred up emotions and thoughts - What are the things that are important to us? What makes us uniquely us? If no one else knows our name, does it still count? These were some weighty thoughts that I enjoyed simmering on. This book is told in chronological order; however, it would have benefited (if executed well) from shifting timelines (switching from past to present timelines).
*NetGalley provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
Often times, it is said that an author needs to show and not tell. For example, instead of saying X was horrible, the author should describe the experience and allow the reader to conclude that the situation is horrible. This is a textbook example of an author showing the reader how awful the situation is. This book is raw, dark, and gritty. It is not a mystery but a thriller. The reader is constantly kept in suspense and wondering what the outcomes will be. The author has beautifully captured the emotions and terror of Jane as if we were sitting along beside her.
However, this book was a bit slow moving for my style. It also reminded me of Even Silence Has An End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle which was a true story. However, The Last Thing to Burn is fiction and wasn't bounded by sticking to an established set of facts and stirred up emotions and thoughts - What are the things that are important to us? What makes us uniquely us? If no one else knows our name, does it still count? These were some weighty thoughts that I enjoyed simmering on. This book is told in chronological order; however, it would have benefited (if executed well) from shifting timelines (switching from past to present timelines).
*NetGalley provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
April 20, 2021
Let’s talk about genre labeling for a moment, shall we?
The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean is being marketed as a “claustrophobic thriller.” Is it claustrophobic? Absolutely. Is it a thriller? Not sure. (checks google...)
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a thriller as: One that thrills; especially a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of of intrigue, adventure, or suspense.
So yes, then we’re definitely in thriller territory here. The Last Thing to Burn is as dramatic and suspenseful as they come. But I still can’t shake the overall feeling that what I just read is literary fiction.
The publisher’s blurb compares it to Emma Donoghue’s infamous novel, Room, but I’ll take it one further. This is Room with the captive being the victim of human trafficking. I’m not sure if that’s spoilery to say, but I believe it’s important to know that going in. I’ve read many, many kidnapping stories but never one that so vividly and intimately portrayed this horrendous, global epidemic. For a taut 256 pages, readers feel every bit as helpless as Thanh Dao, the Vietnamese woman who thought she was going to England for a better life but ended up the “married” servant of a vile human who renames her Jane… after his mother.
This is a hard book to read, but it is so well written. The descriptors “character-driven” and “slow-burn” come to mind, yet the desire to see Thanh escape keeps the pages turning. This was a buddy read with Michael David, and we both tore through it quickly. We also were taken by surprise by a few revealing moments, and overall we had a lot to discuss.
I do wish Dean had opted to provide a deeper look at the backstories of the characters, since I never shook the desire to know more about Thanh and her captor before he bought her. I respect that he chose to keep some elements vague, but personally I wouldn’t have minded 50-100 more pages to better understand what brought them both to this deplorable situation.
If you still need trigger warnings after hearing "human trafficking" - rape, physical and psychological torture, and dentophobia.
My sincere thanks to Will Dean and Atria Books for providing my gifted copy for review via NetGalley. The Last Thing to Burn is now available.
Blog: www.confettibookshelf.com
IG: @confettibookshelf
The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean is being marketed as a “claustrophobic thriller.” Is it claustrophobic? Absolutely. Is it a thriller? Not sure. (checks google...)
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a thriller as: One that thrills; especially a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of of intrigue, adventure, or suspense.
So yes, then we’re definitely in thriller territory here. The Last Thing to Burn is as dramatic and suspenseful as they come. But I still can’t shake the overall feeling that what I just read is literary fiction.
The publisher’s blurb compares it to Emma Donoghue’s infamous novel, Room, but I’ll take it one further. This is Room with the captive being the victim of human trafficking. I’m not sure if that’s spoilery to say, but I believe it’s important to know that going in. I’ve read many, many kidnapping stories but never one that so vividly and intimately portrayed this horrendous, global epidemic. For a taut 256 pages, readers feel every bit as helpless as Thanh Dao, the Vietnamese woman who thought she was going to England for a better life but ended up the “married” servant of a vile human who renames her Jane… after his mother.
This is a hard book to read, but it is so well written. The descriptors “character-driven” and “slow-burn” come to mind, yet the desire to see Thanh escape keeps the pages turning. This was a buddy read with Michael David, and we both tore through it quickly. We also were taken by surprise by a few revealing moments, and overall we had a lot to discuss.
I do wish Dean had opted to provide a deeper look at the backstories of the characters, since I never shook the desire to know more about Thanh and her captor before he bought her. I respect that he chose to keep some elements vague, but personally I wouldn’t have minded 50-100 more pages to better understand what brought them both to this deplorable situation.
If you still need trigger warnings after hearing "human trafficking" - rape, physical and psychological torture, and dentophobia.
My sincere thanks to Will Dean and Atria Books for providing my gifted copy for review via NetGalley. The Last Thing to Burn is now available.
Blog: www.confettibookshelf.com
IG: @confettibookshelf
January 25, 2021
⭐ 4.5 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 is how to write psychological suspense Stars ⭐
𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘯'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘮... 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦'𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘵𝘺.
𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦.
Jane's desperation OOZES from the pages.
This book is dark and difficult and some scenes were so intense that I almost couldn't watch what was gonna happen next! 🙈 I loved it!
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺.
𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘯'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘮... 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦'𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘵𝘺.
𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦.
Jane's desperation OOZES from the pages.
This book is dark and difficult and some scenes were so intense that I almost couldn't watch what was gonna happen next! 🙈 I loved it!
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺.
October 11, 2020
Will Dean moves into rather different territory from his deaf journalist series to a more chillingly harrowing, dark and disturbing world, the evils and horrors of human trafficking and enslavement. This claustrophobic and atmospheric storytelling has Vietnamese Thanh Dao and her sister, Kym-Ly, arrive in the UK only to find they have been conned. Thanh finds herself named 'jane' after the mother and first wife of Lenn, a nasty, controlling, cruel and abusive man, living in a isolated, dilapidated and cold farm amidst the bleak landscape of the Fens. Jane reveals her life and story in this character driven, hard to read and stomach, tale, with its ever creeping menacing sense of dread, the everyday repetitious routines, the cooking, cleaning, the sex, there is no way out, and no escape, or is there?
She is threatened with what will happen to her sister, of being under constant surveillance, feeling despair, punished for her 'transgressions' by having her possessions burnt, Jane is now left with so few, including her sister's letters, and a well read copy of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men that gives her hope. She watches and observes Lenn carefully, finding herself pregnant and giving birth. Dean has certainly done his research in the harsh realities of human trafficking and his characterisation is incredible and so emotionally heartbreaking. There is tension and suspense as I turned the pages of this rage inducing thriller, finding it compulsive and riveting fare, one that I think will appeal to many crime and thrillers fans, despite the unsettling and traumatic themes. I feel like I desperately need some lighter reading material after this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
She is threatened with what will happen to her sister, of being under constant surveillance, feeling despair, punished for her 'transgressions' by having her possessions burnt, Jane is now left with so few, including her sister's letters, and a well read copy of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men that gives her hope. She watches and observes Lenn carefully, finding herself pregnant and giving birth. Dean has certainly done his research in the harsh realities of human trafficking and his characterisation is incredible and so emotionally heartbreaking. There is tension and suspense as I turned the pages of this rage inducing thriller, finding it compulsive and riveting fare, one that I think will appeal to many crime and thrillers fans, despite the unsettling and traumatic themes. I feel like I desperately need some lighter reading material after this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
February 16, 2021
Absolutely unputdownable!
From page one I was pulled in and finished this amazing read in only a couple of sittings!
Her captor calls her Jane. That is not her real name but in her seven years of captivity it has become the name the monster uses to address her with. She will never accept this name. Nor will she ever accept her fate as his prisoner.
But now it’s more than just “Jane’s” freedom on the line. She has a child to think of. And maybe more casualties of her captor.
My heart was thumping from beginning to end. You could feel “Jane’s” fear, loathing and frustration. Her courage and will to survive showed in every step she took. The author did an amazing job to bring the characters to life.
I have read a few similar books with a similar premise of women being held captive. There was something about this book felt so different. I felt like I was trapped in the cabin with “Jane”.
I had seen so much hype for this book so I went in with a bit of trepidation that once again I would be let down. Not a chance! One of the best reads so far for 2021. Highly recommend!
A buddy read with Susanne.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Thank you to Maudee Genao at Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.
From page one I was pulled in and finished this amazing read in only a couple of sittings!
Her captor calls her Jane. That is not her real name but in her seven years of captivity it has become the name the monster uses to address her with. She will never accept this name. Nor will she ever accept her fate as his prisoner.
But now it’s more than just “Jane’s” freedom on the line. She has a child to think of. And maybe more casualties of her captor.
My heart was thumping from beginning to end. You could feel “Jane’s” fear, loathing and frustration. Her courage and will to survive showed in every step she took. The author did an amazing job to bring the characters to life.
I have read a few similar books with a similar premise of women being held captive. There was something about this book felt so different. I felt like I was trapped in the cabin with “Jane”.
I had seen so much hype for this book so I went in with a bit of trepidation that once again I would be let down. Not a chance! One of the best reads so far for 2021. Highly recommend!
A buddy read with Susanne.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Thank you to Maudee Genao at Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.
December 12, 2024
"...and I sit feeding my daughter and planning his death."
One of the best written survivor stories!
Damn, the whole time I was just numb thinking about what the main character had to go through ever since the first page until the last few pages of the book. It gave me nightmares. It gave me chills. It gave me actual pain.
Yes, pain. A whole lot of it. Physical pain while reading this story. It's 99 percent pain throughout the entire read because the victim and later on victims, another added victim, with another added one, were suffering through immense torture. What a creepy creep!
But this is the kind of read you just cannot stop reading because the writing is really calm and intense in a way that wouldn't leave you in peace unless you know what happens in the end.
***Trigger warnings for all kinds of assault and neglect.
Inhuman treatment I would say.
But yes, this story provides hope and yes, more power to the survivors who have had enough willpower in them to come out of the inhuman situations barely alive.
Kudos to the author for such a gripping read. It's just too good I say.
That ending is so damn satisfying!!!!!
One of the best written survivor stories!
Damn, the whole time I was just numb thinking about what the main character had to go through ever since the first page until the last few pages of the book. It gave me nightmares. It gave me chills. It gave me actual pain.
Yes, pain. A whole lot of it. Physical pain while reading this story. It's 99 percent pain throughout the entire read because the victim and later on victims, another added victim, with another added one, were suffering through immense torture. What a creepy creep!
But this is the kind of read you just cannot stop reading because the writing is really calm and intense in a way that wouldn't leave you in peace unless you know what happens in the end.
***Trigger warnings for all kinds of assault and neglect.
Inhuman treatment I would say.
But yes, this story provides hope and yes, more power to the survivors who have had enough willpower in them to come out of the inhuman situations barely alive.
Kudos to the author for such a gripping read. It's just too good I say.
That ending is so damn satisfying!!!!!
September 25, 2020
This is the story of ‘Jane’, the name given to her by her ‘husband’ Leonard who keeps her captive on his isolated Fenland farm. He has cameras watching her all day long and if she does something he doesn’t like she is punished. Thanh Dao aka Jane tells her story.
I’m not going to pretend this is an easy read because it’s not. It’s a brutal personal tale of the outcome of people trafficking and the overwhelming desire to survive in the face of superior strength and terrifying cruelty. It’s a tense and smothering tale of control but overwhelmingly of resilience. It’s incredibly well written, some of the descriptions break your heart and you feel Jane’s pain at every step. The Fenland setting in its unrelenting flat, brown landscape is a perfectly matched atmospheric setting for this bleak story and you are able to visualise the decrepit farmhouse in which she’s trapped. One of Jane’s prized and diminishing possessions is a copy of Mice and Men and I love how the author cleverly weaves this into the narrative.
Overall, this is hard to read but I’m very glad I have. It drew me in right from the start and you become invested in Jane’s survival. It’s a story of incredible bravery, of cruelty but also of deep love and I confess to a lump in my throat at the end.
With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC for an honest review.
I’m not going to pretend this is an easy read because it’s not. It’s a brutal personal tale of the outcome of people trafficking and the overwhelming desire to survive in the face of superior strength and terrifying cruelty. It’s a tense and smothering tale of control but overwhelmingly of resilience. It’s incredibly well written, some of the descriptions break your heart and you feel Jane’s pain at every step. The Fenland setting in its unrelenting flat, brown landscape is a perfectly matched atmospheric setting for this bleak story and you are able to visualise the decrepit farmhouse in which she’s trapped. One of Jane’s prized and diminishing possessions is a copy of Mice and Men and I love how the author cleverly weaves this into the narrative.
Overall, this is hard to read but I’m very glad I have. It drew me in right from the start and you become invested in Jane’s survival. It’s a story of incredible bravery, of cruelty but also of deep love and I confess to a lump in my throat at the end.
With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC for an honest review.
May 29, 2021
Alright. I’m about to get bashed For this one. My thrill meter started out high but then petered out to some jerky flits.
Yep, I’m the outlier.
This one had potential. A Vietnamese immigrant whose family were made such promises of work for their daughters, send them in over to the UK to earn lots a money.
Jane is being held prisoner in this psychotic farmer’s lair. She knows some English, having read many food labels and of mice and men, but has a warped and shattered ankle that Lenn inflicted to ensure she never runs away.
Everytime she disobeys, The mighty Lenn burns something of significance to her. Photos, the one book she read, letters. All to teach her a lesson.
Then he kidnaps another woman. New to town. Shoved in the damp God awful cellar.
But escape is ridiculous. Far fetched and who the hell in their right mind would double back? And for having a limited vocabulary, how would she even know what a post doctorate was?
The ridiculous meter held high.
easy read start of a good premise, but just became a no f*ng way head shake.
But, maybe it’s just me and this genre...
3⭐️
Yep, I’m the outlier.
This one had potential. A Vietnamese immigrant whose family were made such promises of work for their daughters, send them in over to the UK to earn lots a money.
Jane is being held prisoner in this psychotic farmer’s lair. She knows some English, having read many food labels and of mice and men, but has a warped and shattered ankle that Lenn inflicted to ensure she never runs away.
Everytime she disobeys, The mighty Lenn burns something of significance to her. Photos, the one book she read, letters. All to teach her a lesson.
Then he kidnaps another woman. New to town. Shoved in the damp God awful cellar.
But escape is ridiculous. Far fetched and who the hell in their right mind would double back? And for having a limited vocabulary, how would she even know what a post doctorate was?
The ridiculous meter held high.
easy read start of a good premise, but just became a no f*ng way head shake.
But, maybe it’s just me and this genre...
3⭐️
April 11, 2021
Talk about a punch to the gut.
"Jane" is a victim of human trafficking. She has been trapped by Lenn for seven years. Seven very long years. Years where she sees her precious belonging dwindle. Years of loneliness. Years of pain. Years of horror. Years she will never get back.
When she discovers she is pregnant, she vows to escape, to protect her child, to give her child a chance at having a future. Her plans of escape become more complicated, when Lenn brings another woman to the farm. How does she care for her child? How can she help another woman when she cannot help herself? Will she ever escape?
Human trafficking is a heart wrenching horror, as is rape, abuse, confinement, and mistreatment. Will this book remind you of Room? Yes. Will it have you thinking of the Ariel Castro Kidnappings in the United States? It did me. Will parts remind you of Misery? Yes. But although this book might remind you of other things, it is unique and stands on its own merit.
This well written book was a very fast read. It was also claustrophobic and had a sense of dread. My heart went out to "Jane" and her plight. This is not the book to be read when you are having a bad day. But it is a book that should be read. It was captivating, heartbreaking and tense. I had a constant worry of what was going to happen next. This one will have your stomach in knots as the tension mounts. Dean had created a character in Jane, that readers want to root for. Dean does not pull punches while showing what "Jane's " daily life is like. When you think you have it bad, remember there are those who have it worse.
This is a powerful book that is thought provoking and I believe would be a great book for book clubs as there is a lot to discuss in this book.
4.5 stars
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
"Jane" is a victim of human trafficking. She has been trapped by Lenn for seven years. Seven very long years. Years where she sees her precious belonging dwindle. Years of loneliness. Years of pain. Years of horror. Years she will never get back.
When she discovers she is pregnant, she vows to escape, to protect her child, to give her child a chance at having a future. Her plans of escape become more complicated, when Lenn brings another woman to the farm. How does she care for her child? How can she help another woman when she cannot help herself? Will she ever escape?
Human trafficking is a heart wrenching horror, as is rape, abuse, confinement, and mistreatment. Will this book remind you of Room? Yes. Will it have you thinking of the Ariel Castro Kidnappings in the United States? It did me. Will parts remind you of Misery? Yes. But although this book might remind you of other things, it is unique and stands on its own merit.
This well written book was a very fast read. It was also claustrophobic and had a sense of dread. My heart went out to "Jane" and her plight. This is not the book to be read when you are having a bad day. But it is a book that should be read. It was captivating, heartbreaking and tense. I had a constant worry of what was going to happen next. This one will have your stomach in knots as the tension mounts. Dean had created a character in Jane, that readers want to root for. Dean does not pull punches while showing what "Jane's " daily life is like. When you think you have it bad, remember there are those who have it worse.
This is a powerful book that is thought provoking and I believe would be a great book for book clubs as there is a lot to discuss in this book.
4.5 stars
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
June 11, 2023
4.5* Ok wow very pleasantly surprised by this. Absolutely FLEW through it today with my heart in my throat the entire time 😰
April 6, 2021
This is a very dark and intense novel about a young woman being held captive on an isolated farm. It's a harrowing and heart wrenching read but one that is utterly compelling.
Jane, not her real name and one that she refuses to own, left Vietnam with her younger sister with the promise of a better life ahead in Britain. Instead, what she found was forced slavery, held captive for many years by Lenn, a cruel and abusive man; expected to cook, clean, obey and be raped every night, unable to run away due to a serious injury and the threat that her younger sister will be harmed if she does. To protect her sister, she complies with his wishes, but her spirit is resilient and she won't allow him to break it even as he keeps her in degrading conditions. However, when she becomes pregnant and a second woman is imprisoned on the farm, she starts thinking about what they can do to survive.
Despite the horrific subject and my horror at the injustices being committed, this was riveting and suspenseful reading. Dean's writing is lean and powerful, conveying the claustrophobic atmosphere of the small house so well. Lenn is a truly monstrous and brutal, with an unhealthy fixation on his dead mother, while Jane's character is so strong and resilient despite everything she has been through. Unlike many novels featuring a captive woman, this one felt chillingly plausible, particularly given the isolated location of the farm in the English fenland and the circumstances that bring 'Jane' to the to it. The tension builds superbly through the novel to a very intense ending with a few surprises and a small moment of triumph for Jane that resonates with the title of the novel. This is a book I won't forget in a hurry. 4.5★
With many thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for a copy to read
Jane, not her real name and one that she refuses to own, left Vietnam with her younger sister with the promise of a better life ahead in Britain. Instead, what she found was forced slavery, held captive for many years by Lenn, a cruel and abusive man; expected to cook, clean, obey and be raped every night, unable to run away due to a serious injury and the threat that her younger sister will be harmed if she does. To protect her sister, she complies with his wishes, but her spirit is resilient and she won't allow him to break it even as he keeps her in degrading conditions. However, when she becomes pregnant and a second woman is imprisoned on the farm, she starts thinking about what they can do to survive.
Despite the horrific subject and my horror at the injustices being committed, this was riveting and suspenseful reading. Dean's writing is lean and powerful, conveying the claustrophobic atmosphere of the small house so well. Lenn is a truly monstrous and brutal, with an unhealthy fixation on his dead mother, while Jane's character is so strong and resilient despite everything she has been through. Unlike many novels featuring a captive woman, this one felt chillingly plausible, particularly given the isolated location of the farm in the English fenland and the circumstances that bring 'Jane' to the to it. The tension builds superbly through the novel to a very intense ending with a few surprises and a small moment of triumph for Jane that resonates with the title of the novel. This is a book I won't forget in a hurry. 4.5★
With many thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for a copy to read
February 7, 2021
A dark and sometimes difficult-to-read survivalist story.
Thanh Dao has been renamed “Jane” by her captor, Lenn. She and her sister, Kym-Le, left Vietnam to find a better future in England, and she never expected what her life had become. She’s been living with Lenn on his remote farm for over 7 years, and hasn’t been successful in escaping. She has a shattered ankle, but has to cook and clean for him every day.
She becomes pregnant after one of the other things she has to do for him. After another woman is brought into the home and held captive, and with her newborn baby, Thanh Dao/Jane decides this is it. She needs to figure out the ultimate way to escape the hell she is in.
While this was a quick read, it was not an easy one. It’s heavy and sometimes brutal. I felt anger and I felt Jane’s fear. It’s richly atmospheric and beautifully written. My mind could clearly see the repugnant living conditions of Lenn’s home.
As tough as the topics in this book are, they are also extremely important. Author Will Dean takes great care in giving us a stark and seemingly realistic view of a woman held captive. I also appreciate the afterword he includes in the book.
This was a buddy read with Regina, and while I’m not sure either of us would use the word “enjoyable” to describe this book, we were both into it, and enjoyed discussing it at various points throughout.
Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published 4/20/21.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Thanh Dao has been renamed “Jane” by her captor, Lenn. She and her sister, Kym-Le, left Vietnam to find a better future in England, and she never expected what her life had become. She’s been living with Lenn on his remote farm for over 7 years, and hasn’t been successful in escaping. She has a shattered ankle, but has to cook and clean for him every day.
She becomes pregnant after one of the other things she has to do for him. After another woman is brought into the home and held captive, and with her newborn baby, Thanh Dao/Jane decides this is it. She needs to figure out the ultimate way to escape the hell she is in.
While this was a quick read, it was not an easy one. It’s heavy and sometimes brutal. I felt anger and I felt Jane’s fear. It’s richly atmospheric and beautifully written. My mind could clearly see the repugnant living conditions of Lenn’s home.
As tough as the topics in this book are, they are also extremely important. Author Will Dean takes great care in giving us a stark and seemingly realistic view of a woman held captive. I also appreciate the afterword he includes in the book.
This was a buddy read with Regina, and while I’m not sure either of us would use the word “enjoyable” to describe this book, we were both into it, and enjoyed discussing it at various points throughout.
Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published 4/20/21.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
February 14, 2021
Review also published on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Nary a moment goes by that “Jane” does not plan for her captor’s death
Upon being the victim of human trafficking, we learn why.
“Jane” whose real name is Thanh Dao has been held captive by Lenn for seven (7) long years. Originally from Vietnam, she now resides in a farmhouse somewhere in England. Held against her will.
Thanh Dao and her sister Kim-Ly originally traveled to England with the promise of employment. Kim-Ly, she is told, is working at a Nail Salon in Manchester and so “Jane” stays, to keep her sister safe.
After years in captivity, Jane finds herself in a bind. She is pregnant and keeping her child safe is, of course, of the utmost importance. Lenn has taken everything away from her, but he will not take her baby.
Dark, harrowing, powerful, taut, and terrifying, “The Last Thing to Burn” by Will Dean is an incredible character-driven suspense novel that is all-consuming.
As soon as I started reading this dastardly tale, that flame inside of me ignited and I was all in. Pulse-pounding in desperation, I quickly flipped each page, anxious to find out what would happen next. Horrified, petrified, and hopeful all at the same time.
A thrilling, captivating, character-driven novel that delves into extremely difficult subjects, “The Last Thing to Burn” knocked my socks off and I think it will do the same for you as well. This is yet another brilliant read that will most certainly appear on my Goodreads best-of-list for 2021.
Another buddy read with Kaceey that gave us much to discuss.
Thank you to Maudee Genao at Atria Books for the galley and NetGalley for the e-arc.
Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Insta.
Nary a moment goes by that “Jane” does not plan for her captor’s death
Upon being the victim of human trafficking, we learn why.
“Jane” whose real name is Thanh Dao has been held captive by Lenn for seven (7) long years. Originally from Vietnam, she now resides in a farmhouse somewhere in England. Held against her will.
Thanh Dao and her sister Kim-Ly originally traveled to England with the promise of employment. Kim-Ly, she is told, is working at a Nail Salon in Manchester and so “Jane” stays, to keep her sister safe.
After years in captivity, Jane finds herself in a bind. She is pregnant and keeping her child safe is, of course, of the utmost importance. Lenn has taken everything away from her, but he will not take her baby.
Dark, harrowing, powerful, taut, and terrifying, “The Last Thing to Burn” by Will Dean is an incredible character-driven suspense novel that is all-consuming.
As soon as I started reading this dastardly tale, that flame inside of me ignited and I was all in. Pulse-pounding in desperation, I quickly flipped each page, anxious to find out what would happen next. Horrified, petrified, and hopeful all at the same time.
A thrilling, captivating, character-driven novel that delves into extremely difficult subjects, “The Last Thing to Burn” knocked my socks off and I think it will do the same for you as well. This is yet another brilliant read that will most certainly appear on my Goodreads best-of-list for 2021.
Another buddy read with Kaceey that gave us much to discuss.
Thank you to Maudee Genao at Atria Books for the galley and NetGalley for the e-arc.
Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Insta.
April 12, 2021
Let me out!!
Talk about visceral! This brutal book tied my belly in a knot and made me chew my lips, hard. It also made me feel incredibly claustrophobic. If Misery and Room had a baby, it would look like this book. I loved this baby even though it’s one of the most horrific stories I’ve ever read.
The novel is not for the faint of heart. It’s about a repulsive, abusive man, Lenn, who has a prisoner he named Jane (her real name is Thanh Dao). She’s Vietnamese and is the victim of sex trafficking. (And yes, it will make you wonder if a story like this could be real.) Lenn never stops tormenting her. Most of it is psychological, and he knows how to ratchet up the torture if she misbehaves. He takes things away; that’s all I’ll say. You’ll see in the end how perfect the book title is.
Jane is the narrator, and man, can she tell a story. Okay, I’m going to call her Jane in this review, though I feel awful about it—so sorry, Thanh Dao! It’s just that that’s the name I know her by. I hate to “listen to” Lenn and call her Jane; I feel like I’m betraying Thanh Dao by using the name her tormentor gave her! Now the fact that I’m freaking out by calling her Jane in a review shows you how much this book got under my skin. OMG, I think these people are real!
There’s such an immediacy— you’re getting a second-by-second report of Jane’s thoughts, her feelings, her actions. You feel like you’re right there with her, stuck in the house, stuck in her hell. Jane is repulsed, terrified, furious, determined, and in tremendous pain—all of this oozes from every page. She also is a little hopeful, and you get to carry that hope, too. It’s what makes you keep reading through the brutality. She’s such a strong victim, it’s impossible not to root for her and love her.
I love books told in first person, especially when the hero is captive and must figure out how to escape. The tension builds continuously here, making it irresistible. There are some major plot surprises that make the story even more intense. I’m being vague on purpose. (Avoid reading the blurb if you can; it gives too much away.)
The Foot
Meanwhile, do you have a desire to see a messed-up foot by any chance? A foot that’s all wrong and askew, a foot that’s at a “I-can’t-look-at-it-because-it’s-so-wrong-and-creepy” right angle? Then this book is the place to go. Because I’m here to tell you, Jane’s broken, gnarly foot is a major character in the book, and you can’t escape it. The terrible, vivid image, plus Jane’s difficulty in walking, her fear of it getting even worse, the eternal pain of it (a 50 on a scale of 10, I’d say)—all that is stuck in my head. Will her foot just pop into my head whenever it wants to, from now until eternity? The foot of nightmares, I’m telling you.
My only complaint about the book, truly, is that Jane’s foot has too much airtime. We NEVER stop hearing about it, we never stop seeing this right-angle atrocity. I realize the author is going for authenticity—Jane’s foot pain is forever in her mind—but it’s overkill. We get it, her foot is screwed up, bad; you don’t have to hit us over the head with it. I found it really hard to read about, over and over, popping up in every chapter. Will my foot start hurting in sympathy? I thought maybe so, the description is so strong and relentless. (Hm…have I gone all overkill on The Foot, too?)
It was so hard to put this book down! And when I did leave it so I could do normal things like eat and sleep and load the dishwasher, I was jonesin’ to get back to it. I felt oddly unsettled, like I had left Jane all alone and she needed me there to help her escape. It was too much at times, and I questioned why I was making myself so miserable by reading it. The answer is, this book is absolutely compelling! I needed to see if and how Jane would get free. And would she get revenge on the monster? She’s one of the most vivid characters I’ve ever come across.
If you liked Room, I predict you’ll love this. But again, be warned: this is intense and dark, and it never lets up. You may not be in the mood for something so heavy.
For a story like this to work, the writer has to be damn good, and Will Dean fits the bill. (I had never heard of him, but I guarantee you, I’m going to check out his earlier work.) This book is literary fiction, not a pot-boiler. I can’t give the book anything less than 5 stars; it’s just too close to perfect.
Thanks to Edelweiss for the advance copy.
Talk about visceral! This brutal book tied my belly in a knot and made me chew my lips, hard. It also made me feel incredibly claustrophobic. If Misery and Room had a baby, it would look like this book. I loved this baby even though it’s one of the most horrific stories I’ve ever read.
The novel is not for the faint of heart. It’s about a repulsive, abusive man, Lenn, who has a prisoner he named Jane (her real name is Thanh Dao). She’s Vietnamese and is the victim of sex trafficking. (And yes, it will make you wonder if a story like this could be real.) Lenn never stops tormenting her. Most of it is psychological, and he knows how to ratchet up the torture if she misbehaves. He takes things away; that’s all I’ll say. You’ll see in the end how perfect the book title is.
Jane is the narrator, and man, can she tell a story. Okay, I’m going to call her Jane in this review, though I feel awful about it—so sorry, Thanh Dao! It’s just that that’s the name I know her by. I hate to “listen to” Lenn and call her Jane; I feel like I’m betraying Thanh Dao by using the name her tormentor gave her! Now the fact that I’m freaking out by calling her Jane in a review shows you how much this book got under my skin. OMG, I think these people are real!
There’s such an immediacy— you’re getting a second-by-second report of Jane’s thoughts, her feelings, her actions. You feel like you’re right there with her, stuck in the house, stuck in her hell. Jane is repulsed, terrified, furious, determined, and in tremendous pain—all of this oozes from every page. She also is a little hopeful, and you get to carry that hope, too. It’s what makes you keep reading through the brutality. She’s such a strong victim, it’s impossible not to root for her and love her.
I love books told in first person, especially when the hero is captive and must figure out how to escape. The tension builds continuously here, making it irresistible. There are some major plot surprises that make the story even more intense. I’m being vague on purpose. (Avoid reading the blurb if you can; it gives too much away.)
The Foot
Meanwhile, do you have a desire to see a messed-up foot by any chance? A foot that’s all wrong and askew, a foot that’s at a “I-can’t-look-at-it-because-it’s-so-wrong-and-creepy” right angle? Then this book is the place to go. Because I’m here to tell you, Jane’s broken, gnarly foot is a major character in the book, and you can’t escape it. The terrible, vivid image, plus Jane’s difficulty in walking, her fear of it getting even worse, the eternal pain of it (a 50 on a scale of 10, I’d say)—all that is stuck in my head. Will her foot just pop into my head whenever it wants to, from now until eternity? The foot of nightmares, I’m telling you.
My only complaint about the book, truly, is that Jane’s foot has too much airtime. We NEVER stop hearing about it, we never stop seeing this right-angle atrocity. I realize the author is going for authenticity—Jane’s foot pain is forever in her mind—but it’s overkill. We get it, her foot is screwed up, bad; you don’t have to hit us over the head with it. I found it really hard to read about, over and over, popping up in every chapter. Will my foot start hurting in sympathy? I thought maybe so, the description is so strong and relentless. (Hm…have I gone all overkill on The Foot, too?)
It was so hard to put this book down! And when I did leave it so I could do normal things like eat and sleep and load the dishwasher, I was jonesin’ to get back to it. I felt oddly unsettled, like I had left Jane all alone and she needed me there to help her escape. It was too much at times, and I questioned why I was making myself so miserable by reading it. The answer is, this book is absolutely compelling! I needed to see if and how Jane would get free. And would she get revenge on the monster? She’s one of the most vivid characters I’ve ever come across.
If you liked Room, I predict you’ll love this. But again, be warned: this is intense and dark, and it never lets up. You may not be in the mood for something so heavy.
For a story like this to work, the writer has to be damn good, and Will Dean fits the bill. (I had never heard of him, but I guarantee you, I’m going to check out his earlier work.) This book is literary fiction, not a pot-boiler. I can’t give the book anything less than 5 stars; it’s just too close to perfect.
Thanks to Edelweiss for the advance copy.
March 10, 2021
A dark, disturbing, unputdownable thriller that had by heart racing and my blood boiling. .
The least said the better comes to mind with The last thing to burn but if you like dark, disturbing, dislikable character type stories then this is probably your kind of novel. However for readers who find the subject of human trafficking upsetting to read then I'd advise perhaps passing on this one.
This book made me so mad. I was aware I was reading a fiction story but this situation has been played out and is thousands of peoples realities around the world. I was drawn into this one from the very first page, a horrifying and suspenseful read and I just couldn't put it down.
This is a tense and atmospheric read and I found myself almost feeling claustrophobic when reading it. Another thriller worthy of a place on my real life bookshelf.
The least said the better comes to mind with The last thing to burn but if you like dark, disturbing, dislikable character type stories then this is probably your kind of novel. However for readers who find the subject of human trafficking upsetting to read then I'd advise perhaps passing on this one.
This book made me so mad. I was aware I was reading a fiction story but this situation has been played out and is thousands of peoples realities around the world. I was drawn into this one from the very first page, a horrifying and suspenseful read and I just couldn't put it down.
This is a tense and atmospheric read and I found myself almost feeling claustrophobic when reading it. Another thriller worthy of a place on my real life bookshelf.
January 8, 2022
EXCERPT: I wash up and listen for the front door.
That's it.
The noise of the bolt.
Blessed relief. I breathe out and wait, scouring pad in hand, and then he's there at the back field on his quad, a monster riding away on four wheels, riding off towards the pigs, his brethren. I wish upon him a heart attack and a bad fall, perhaps into the dike, drowning, the quad on top, and a lightning strike. But nothing ever happens to him, no consequences. He's as solid and as basic as a concrete wall. The times I've begged to all the gods, to the horizon, to the four spires I can see to the north on a clear day and the three to the south, to the wind turbines, for some retribution to be brought, some penalty, and yet he thrives on.
The tapes are rolling. They're always rolling. If I move, they start recording, that's how he installed them. Leonard's quite handy with electrics and plumbing. And he may come back. He says he's off to feed the pigs, those royal animals luxuriating on their throne of filth, unaware of their relative freedom, but he could just as well race back in five minutes. To surprise me. To control his small world and keep things exactly as he likes them.
ABOUT 'THE LAST THING TO BURN': On an isolated farm in the United Kingdom, a woman is trapped by the monster who kidnapped her seven years ago. When she discovers she is pregnant, she resolves to protect her child no matter the cost, and starts to meticulously plan her escape. But when another woman is brought into the fold on the farm, her plans go awry. Can she save herself, her child, and this innocent woman at the same time? Or is she doomed to spend the remainder of her life captive on this farm?
MY THOUGHTS: The cleverly titled The Last Thing to Burn is an intense read, dark, gripping and heartbreaking. Trafficked from Vietnam, Thanh Dao is systematically stripped of everything, including her identity, by the cruel and controlling Lenn. Renamed Jane after Lenn's mother, she is forced to live in a ramshackle dwelling in the Fens, to wear Lenn's mother's clothes, to cook the food she used to cook in exactly the same way, to clean the house to her exacting regime, and to submit to Lenn's precise demands for sex.
This is not an easy read and nor should it be. Lenn is nasty, cruel and abusive, and yet every now and then he throws out a nugget of relative kindness to keep Jane off balance.
Jane is an amazing character. In spite of being stripped of her few precious possessions, her language and her identity, she remains Thanh Dao in her mind. She creates a space for herself where Lenn cannot go, where she can talk to her sister Kim-Ly who escaped Vietnam with her and whom she believes to be working in a nail salon in Manchester.
The story of Thanh Dao's struggles is an emotional and heartbreaking one. It is one that, although fiction, depicts the plight of many and deserves to be shared. Will Dean has done his research well. I appreciated the fact that in the afterword he listed organisations able to help if you suspect someone needs help.
Well done Will.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.3
#TheLastThingtoBurn #NetGalley
I: @willrdean @atriabooks
T: @willrdean @AtriaBooks
#contemporaryfiction #crime #humanrights #thriller
THE AUTHOR: Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. He was a bookish, daydreaming kid who found comfort in stories and nature (and he still does). After studying Law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden. He built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, for providing a digital ARC of The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
That's it.
The noise of the bolt.
Blessed relief. I breathe out and wait, scouring pad in hand, and then he's there at the back field on his quad, a monster riding away on four wheels, riding off towards the pigs, his brethren. I wish upon him a heart attack and a bad fall, perhaps into the dike, drowning, the quad on top, and a lightning strike. But nothing ever happens to him, no consequences. He's as solid and as basic as a concrete wall. The times I've begged to all the gods, to the horizon, to the four spires I can see to the north on a clear day and the three to the south, to the wind turbines, for some retribution to be brought, some penalty, and yet he thrives on.
The tapes are rolling. They're always rolling. If I move, they start recording, that's how he installed them. Leonard's quite handy with electrics and plumbing. And he may come back. He says he's off to feed the pigs, those royal animals luxuriating on their throne of filth, unaware of their relative freedom, but he could just as well race back in five minutes. To surprise me. To control his small world and keep things exactly as he likes them.
ABOUT 'THE LAST THING TO BURN': On an isolated farm in the United Kingdom, a woman is trapped by the monster who kidnapped her seven years ago. When she discovers she is pregnant, she resolves to protect her child no matter the cost, and starts to meticulously plan her escape. But when another woman is brought into the fold on the farm, her plans go awry. Can she save herself, her child, and this innocent woman at the same time? Or is she doomed to spend the remainder of her life captive on this farm?
MY THOUGHTS: The cleverly titled The Last Thing to Burn is an intense read, dark, gripping and heartbreaking. Trafficked from Vietnam, Thanh Dao is systematically stripped of everything, including her identity, by the cruel and controlling Lenn. Renamed Jane after Lenn's mother, she is forced to live in a ramshackle dwelling in the Fens, to wear Lenn's mother's clothes, to cook the food she used to cook in exactly the same way, to clean the house to her exacting regime, and to submit to Lenn's precise demands for sex.
This is not an easy read and nor should it be. Lenn is nasty, cruel and abusive, and yet every now and then he throws out a nugget of relative kindness to keep Jane off balance.
Jane is an amazing character. In spite of being stripped of her few precious possessions, her language and her identity, she remains Thanh Dao in her mind. She creates a space for herself where Lenn cannot go, where she can talk to her sister Kim-Ly who escaped Vietnam with her and whom she believes to be working in a nail salon in Manchester.
The story of Thanh Dao's struggles is an emotional and heartbreaking one. It is one that, although fiction, depicts the plight of many and deserves to be shared. Will Dean has done his research well. I appreciated the fact that in the afterword he listed organisations able to help if you suspect someone needs help.
Well done Will.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.3
#TheLastThingtoBurn #NetGalley
I: @willrdean @atriabooks
T: @willrdean @AtriaBooks
#contemporaryfiction #crime #humanrights #thriller
THE AUTHOR: Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. He was a bookish, daydreaming kid who found comfort in stories and nature (and he still does). After studying Law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden. He built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, for providing a digital ARC of The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
January 14, 2021
First, I wish to give a huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC in return for an honest review. This was the most powerful book I have read for a long time. I previously enjoyed all of the excellent, atmospheric series by Will Dean featuring Tuva Moodyson. Tuva is a deaf journalist and set in a small town on the edge of a Swedish forest.
This is a brilliant standalone book with a new setting and feel this is the author's most dynamic book yet. This was a claustrophobic, chilling, and compelling story. This heart wrenching story kept me emotionally invested throughout with its increasing tension and suspense. I was feeling the despair and dreading the emotional and physical abuse in each scene, but was unable to put the book down.
I won't summarize the plot as I don't want to spoil it for the next reader. It focuses on the devastating effect of white slavery, and the deceptive promises of a better life in Britain. The characters here are sold to/ or captured by a cruel, controlling and abusive man to the detriment of their physical and mental health. It is a story of resilience and survival against all odds. Outstanding!
Highly recommended to readers of thrillers who are not deterred by a grim, dark, and disturbing story.
This is a brilliant standalone book with a new setting and feel this is the author's most dynamic book yet. This was a claustrophobic, chilling, and compelling story. This heart wrenching story kept me emotionally invested throughout with its increasing tension and suspense. I was feeling the despair and dreading the emotional and physical abuse in each scene, but was unable to put the book down.
I won't summarize the plot as I don't want to spoil it for the next reader. It focuses on the devastating effect of white slavery, and the deceptive promises of a better life in Britain. The characters here are sold to/ or captured by a cruel, controlling and abusive man to the detriment of their physical and mental health. It is a story of resilience and survival against all odds. Outstanding!
Highly recommended to readers of thrillers who are not deterred by a grim, dark, and disturbing story.
May 10, 2021
5 Shocking Stars
Her name is not Jane, but that’s what her “husband” Lenn calls her. She’s been held captive by him for seven years. This book defies categorizing in my mind. It is tense, it is gripping, it is shocking. I rooted for Jane the whole time to outthink Lenn and escape from this nightmare.
Her every move is monitored, and Lenn has set impossibly high standards to follow. There were many times during this book where I almost couldn’t bear to read it, nor could I set it down. I had to know how things would turn out. There are several surprising turns and this one is certainly dark. There are several triggers in this one, so this is not one for every reader.
Very well-written and shines a light on this tragic circumstance for many women around the world. This one is shorter but packs a powerful punch. This is one that will stay with me for quite some time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Amy Bestler Books.
Her name is not Jane, but that’s what her “husband” Lenn calls her. She’s been held captive by him for seven years. This book defies categorizing in my mind. It is tense, it is gripping, it is shocking. I rooted for Jane the whole time to outthink Lenn and escape from this nightmare.
Her every move is monitored, and Lenn has set impossibly high standards to follow. There were many times during this book where I almost couldn’t bear to read it, nor could I set it down. I had to know how things would turn out. There are several surprising turns and this one is certainly dark. There are several triggers in this one, so this is not one for every reader.
Very well-written and shines a light on this tragic circumstance for many women around the world. This one is shorter but packs a powerful punch. This is one that will stay with me for quite some time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Amy Bestler Books.
December 31, 2023
4.5 pulse-pounding stars!
This thriller has been on my TBR list since it released in 2021. This 247 page book packs quite the punch! I inhaled this claustrophobic, tension filled, gut wrenching story in two days as I had a really hard time putting it down once I got into the story. It could easily be read in one sitting and would be most impactful that way.
This novel revolves around a woman in captivity. It isn’t what you may expect - she isn’t locked in a room, or held by chains, or hidden in a basement. She is living on an isolated farm with her captor who watches and controls her every move.
This book took me a few chapters to connect. I wasn’t sure it was going to work at first but the more I read, the more I connected with the writing and became engrossed and consumed with the story. After the halfway point, I was compulsively reading it in every spare minute I had. It’s a unique, intense, disturbing and uncomfortable read that I will never forget.
If you enjoy thrillers and haven’t read this yet, run to your nearest library or bookstore and get a copy in your hands!
This thriller has been on my TBR list since it released in 2021. This 247 page book packs quite the punch! I inhaled this claustrophobic, tension filled, gut wrenching story in two days as I had a really hard time putting it down once I got into the story. It could easily be read in one sitting and would be most impactful that way.
This novel revolves around a woman in captivity. It isn’t what you may expect - she isn’t locked in a room, or held by chains, or hidden in a basement. She is living on an isolated farm with her captor who watches and controls her every move.
This book took me a few chapters to connect. I wasn’t sure it was going to work at first but the more I read, the more I connected with the writing and became engrossed and consumed with the story. After the halfway point, I was compulsively reading it in every spare minute I had. It’s a unique, intense, disturbing and uncomfortable read that I will never forget.
If you enjoy thrillers and haven’t read this yet, run to your nearest library or bookstore and get a copy in your hands!
February 22, 2021
Doug and I went to bed last night around 12:30, our normal bedtime when he has to work the following morning (late, I know, but we're night owls at heart).
I thought I'd read the first couple chapters and then sleep, as I haven't been feeling the greatest and was pretty tired. Further, the first chapter's flowery prose sort of turned me off...soooo not what I was in the mood for.
But no. It didn't happen like that.
I read the whole damn book. After I got started, I literally could not put it down. This is, by far, one of the most compelling novels I've ever read. It's such a difficult and dark tale, but unlike The Four Winds which I opted to give a low rating for its never-ending bleakness, in The Last Thing to Burn, I could feel the hope in every single word the main character uttered; in every thought she had; in all her actions. This book felt nothing like The Four Winds.
I've seen some compare this to Room by Emma Donaghue. Let me tell you...this is so much better than Room. I hated all the goofy baby-talk in Room, and to this day, it's one of my all-time most hated novels. The Last to Burn is everything Room should have been.
The epilogue...meh. It's the main reason this book isn't getting five stars. It felt a little too generic and easy after everything I'd read in the previous chapters. I was underwhelmed. Even still, this was an excellent story.
Bottom line: I highly recommend this novel.
Available April 20, 2021.
My profound thanks to NetGalley and Atria for my review copy.
I thought I'd read the first couple chapters and then sleep, as I haven't been feeling the greatest and was pretty tired. Further, the first chapter's flowery prose sort of turned me off...soooo not what I was in the mood for.
But no. It didn't happen like that.
I read the whole damn book. After I got started, I literally could not put it down. This is, by far, one of the most compelling novels I've ever read. It's such a difficult and dark tale, but unlike The Four Winds which I opted to give a low rating for its never-ending bleakness, in The Last Thing to Burn, I could feel the hope in every single word the main character uttered; in every thought she had; in all her actions. This book felt nothing like The Four Winds.
I've seen some compare this to Room by Emma Donaghue. Let me tell you...this is so much better than Room. I hated all the goofy baby-talk in Room, and to this day, it's one of my all-time most hated novels. The Last to Burn is everything Room should have been.
The epilogue...meh. It's the main reason this book isn't getting five stars. It felt a little too generic and easy after everything I'd read in the previous chapters. I was underwhelmed. Even still, this was an excellent story.
Bottom line: I highly recommend this novel.
Available April 20, 2021.
My profound thanks to NetGalley and Atria for my review copy.
March 22, 2021
Thank you Netgalley and Atria for accepting my request to read “The Last Thing To Burn”.
I requested to read this book because of the numerous glowing 5 stars.
I’m not as successful in choosing - the right fit-thriller to read as I am other genres. Yet... I absolutely love the ones that I do.
I was hoping to rave about “The Last Thing To Burn”.... which started promising when - at the very- beginning- a powerful excerpt included before chapter one by author Kim Thuy, Ru.
“I should have chosen the moment before the arrival of my children, for since then I’ve lost the option of dying. The sharp smell of their sun-baked hair, the smell of sweat on their backs when they wake from a nightmare, the dusty smell of their hands when they leave a classroom, meant that I had to live, to be dazzled by the shadow of their eyelashes, moved by a snowflake, bowled over by a tear on their cheek”. ...........
But....
As important as it is to educate the world about human trafficking...I don’t enjoy reading horrific torture... which I found this book to be:
ABSOLUTE TORTURE!!!
I appreciate Will Dean’s writing gifts — very skillful — but honestly.... I repeat...
For me....
IT WAS TORTURE to read.
For starters, I have a bionic ankle. Fourteen doctors were in the surgery room in San Francisco when I was given a new ankle five years ago.
I know a thing or two about razor-sharp throbbing ankle pain .... so it’s not a subject I care to read much about in a story.
Example excerpt:
“My ankle is ruined. The nerves and bones and tendons and muscles are as one damaged bundle; sharp flints and old meat. Fire. I feel nothing else. The pain is something I live with every day of my life, but not like this. This is wretched. My mouth is open. A silent cry. A hopeless and unending scream”.
Written well? Sure! For me? No.
I kept reading...FAST. QUICKLY. I lost interest in taking notes.
‘Misery’ by Steven King gave me nightmares for days!!
“Room”, by Emma Donoghue, didn’t.
Fair description to say “The Last Thing To Burn”, is a cross of both novels.
But I was more ‘miserable’ than ‘room’ enthralled.
I was too distraught- devastated reading this (well written), story.
A young girl, from Saigon, Thanh Dao, was being held captive, by an evil farmer, named Lenn.
Lenn called her Jane.
Seventeen other girls were abducted that same day.
Thanh Dao, and her sister, Kim-Ly arrived in Liverpool inside an ice cold metal box—shipping container, hiding behind other packages and crates, nine years ago.
Of course the sisters were separated.... sold off to different evil men.
Evil continued.
And truthfully, I didn’t care if Thanh (Jane), was strong or resilient... or if the novel ended with justice....
NOTHING could make this story happy.
A human torturous life — a point of no return — years and years of brutal abuse .... were “stained indelibly on Thanh’s soul, engraved into her bones” .....FOREVER!!
Hated this book.
Can’t recommend it.
But.... most readers felt differently than me.
My 1 star rating is not because the book wasn’t well written.... but because it was too dark, HORRIFIC... for me personally.
I don’t need to read about suspense torture.... to already know human trafficking ‘is’!!!
I ended with a pounding headache.
I requested to read this book because of the numerous glowing 5 stars.
I’m not as successful in choosing - the right fit-thriller to read as I am other genres. Yet... I absolutely love the ones that I do.
I was hoping to rave about “The Last Thing To Burn”.... which started promising when - at the very- beginning- a powerful excerpt included before chapter one by author Kim Thuy, Ru.
“I should have chosen the moment before the arrival of my children, for since then I’ve lost the option of dying. The sharp smell of their sun-baked hair, the smell of sweat on their backs when they wake from a nightmare, the dusty smell of their hands when they leave a classroom, meant that I had to live, to be dazzled by the shadow of their eyelashes, moved by a snowflake, bowled over by a tear on their cheek”. ...........
But....
As important as it is to educate the world about human trafficking...I don’t enjoy reading horrific torture... which I found this book to be:
ABSOLUTE TORTURE!!!
I appreciate Will Dean’s writing gifts — very skillful — but honestly.... I repeat...
For me....
IT WAS TORTURE to read.
For starters, I have a bionic ankle. Fourteen doctors were in the surgery room in San Francisco when I was given a new ankle five years ago.
I know a thing or two about razor-sharp throbbing ankle pain .... so it’s not a subject I care to read much about in a story.
Example excerpt:
“My ankle is ruined. The nerves and bones and tendons and muscles are as one damaged bundle; sharp flints and old meat. Fire. I feel nothing else. The pain is something I live with every day of my life, but not like this. This is wretched. My mouth is open. A silent cry. A hopeless and unending scream”.
Written well? Sure! For me? No.
I kept reading...FAST. QUICKLY. I lost interest in taking notes.
‘Misery’ by Steven King gave me nightmares for days!!
“Room”, by Emma Donoghue, didn’t.
Fair description to say “The Last Thing To Burn”, is a cross of both novels.
But I was more ‘miserable’ than ‘room’ enthralled.
I was too distraught- devastated reading this (well written), story.
A young girl, from Saigon, Thanh Dao, was being held captive, by an evil farmer, named Lenn.
Lenn called her Jane.
Seventeen other girls were abducted that same day.
Thanh Dao, and her sister, Kim-Ly arrived in Liverpool inside an ice cold metal box—shipping container, hiding behind other packages and crates, nine years ago.
Of course the sisters were separated.... sold off to different evil men.
Evil continued.
And truthfully, I didn’t care if Thanh (Jane), was strong or resilient... or if the novel ended with justice....
NOTHING could make this story happy.
A human torturous life — a point of no return — years and years of brutal abuse .... were “stained indelibly on Thanh’s soul, engraved into her bones” .....FOREVER!!
Hated this book.
Can’t recommend it.
But.... most readers felt differently than me.
My 1 star rating is not because the book wasn’t well written.... but because it was too dark, HORRIFIC... for me personally.
I don’t need to read about suspense torture.... to already know human trafficking ‘is’!!!
I ended with a pounding headache.
May 26, 2021
A more loathsome individual than the one in this book would be hard to find. A monster masquerading as a human being with his sick, vile, disgusting self. Be ready to go way dark, way down in the hole with this one. It is excellent and sadly, not out of the realm of possibility. A resounding "Bravo!" to the author for a compelling tale well-told, and a title that could not be more fitting.
January 12, 2021
Thanh Dao and her sister Kym-Lyn travel from Vietnam to England in search of a better life. They do not find that.
Thanh, now Jane, is being held captive on a remote farm by, Lenn. The physical, emotional, and sexual abuse that she endures is brutal. She must always follow his rules or face the consequences. Cameras are positioned all around the house so he can always keep an eye on her. Her days of despair seem to have no end in sight. Until she finds herself pregnant.
At first she hates the seed that is growing inside her but over time she grows to love her unborn baby and wants nothing more than to keep the baby safe. This will be her baby. Hers and hers alone. She will not allow this monster, this beast of a man, to have anything to do with this child. Now having something to live for she begins to plan her escape when another woman is brought into their home and is locked in the basement. Thanh is determined not only to protect herself and child but also the woman she can hear sobbing below.
Will they ever escape? You'll have to read this to find out.
This is an incredibly dark book and I couldn't help but to root for Thanh. Her resolve and determination were admirable and I just wanted her and her baby brought to safety. Filled with tension from start to finish and I'd say this is worth taking a look at if you can handle the depraved subject matter. 3.5 stars rounding up!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my digital copy.
Thanh, now Jane, is being held captive on a remote farm by, Lenn. The physical, emotional, and sexual abuse that she endures is brutal. She must always follow his rules or face the consequences. Cameras are positioned all around the house so he can always keep an eye on her. Her days of despair seem to have no end in sight. Until she finds herself pregnant.
At first she hates the seed that is growing inside her but over time she grows to love her unborn baby and wants nothing more than to keep the baby safe. This will be her baby. Hers and hers alone. She will not allow this monster, this beast of a man, to have anything to do with this child. Now having something to live for she begins to plan her escape when another woman is brought into their home and is locked in the basement. Thanh is determined not only to protect herself and child but also the woman she can hear sobbing below.
Will they ever escape? You'll have to read this to find out.
This is an incredibly dark book and I couldn't help but to root for Thanh. Her resolve and determination were admirable and I just wanted her and her baby brought to safety. Filled with tension from start to finish and I'd say this is worth taking a look at if you can handle the depraved subject matter. 3.5 stars rounding up!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my digital copy.
April 22, 2021
The human spirit is an amazing thing; full of wonder and respect. And what people are capable of, whether fighting for life, or abusing others, is no less than heart-stomping. It’s a 2021 favorite for me.
Jane believes she is heading toward a better life, leaving Vietnam, and heading to the UK. Crossing in boats and trucks is a long, arduous process. But where and what she ends up with is what nightmares are made of.
She is held captive by a hog farmer, who considers her his wife, bought and paid for. Her life is dehumanized, she is beaten, tortured and maimed. Yet her so-called life goes on.
There are things beyond her control and one of these situations change her life in an instant. And here the pathway to survival narrows, so it is barely seen.
This is an awesome read. I love the writing that lulled me in deeper. It’s a poignant story, outlining the best and worst in the world. And here my friends is where I leave you.
This is a not-to be-missed book, providing you can handle physical and emotional abuse.
Jane believes she is heading toward a better life, leaving Vietnam, and heading to the UK. Crossing in boats and trucks is a long, arduous process. But where and what she ends up with is what nightmares are made of.
She is held captive by a hog farmer, who considers her his wife, bought and paid for. Her life is dehumanized, she is beaten, tortured and maimed. Yet her so-called life goes on.
There are things beyond her control and one of these situations change her life in an instant. And here the pathway to survival narrows, so it is barely seen.
This is an awesome read. I love the writing that lulled me in deeper. It’s a poignant story, outlining the best and worst in the world. And here my friends is where I leave you.
This is a not-to be-missed book, providing you can handle physical and emotional abuse.
May 20, 2021
Totally gutted! What did I just read? How did Will Dean come up with this intense, spine-tingling and very creepy novel?! This sometimes hard to read thriller by Will Dean might just be one of my favorites of 2021! That's saying a lot folks, as thriller/suspense/horror are practically the only genres I seem to gravitate towards and most of my reading challenges contain hundreds of them. For a novel to stand out among the hundreds by the end of the year means that it had that something special that stuck with me well after completion, and this one certainly did that.
The opening scene caught my attention immediately as our protagonist Jane was unsuccessfully attempting to flee captivity down the long trail that leads from the cabin she's been held captive in for the past seven years, only for her captor Lenn to come back home early and almost effortlessly bring her back to her prison. Jane, you see, is a victim of human trafficking, and Lenn paid good money for her to be his bride, cooking and cleaning for him, taking the place of his dearly departed mother, also named Jane. As I turned the pages, I quickly learned Lenn was not entirely sane, and had a very unhealthy obsession with his late mother. Jane was to cook Lenn's food exactly the way his late mother did. Jane was to wear Lenn's late mother's clothing, even her old cloth sanitary pads!! The level of humiliation that Lenn made Jane endure was hard to read at times, but it also had me completely invested, needing to continue reading on to see if/how Jane was able to flee captivity. To boot, Jane gives birth to a premature baby girl, who Lenn also names Janey (cringe), and almost immediately Janey experiences health problems - she can't keep any of the cow's milk Lenn forces Jane to feed her down, and is becoming increasingly ill. With Lenn brushing her baby's health concerns off as growing pains, Jane is finally convinced she needs to get her and her daughter out of this prison, this time for good. If I wasn't invested already, I certainly was at that point! What ensued was a true edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting journey to safety for Jane, Janey and Cynth (Lenn's most recent captive).
I would challenge anyone to pick this one up and DNF it, it's just not possible. This novel was the perfect length at just under 250 pages, and before I knew it, it was over. I absolutely loved it! While this may be a book readers can only read one time, it's a book that any suspense/thriller fan MUST read, it's that good!
I sincerely hope this is adapted to the silver screen, as I believe it would make one fantastic movie. Head's up for some major triggers with this one. If you can get past those, it's well worth the read. I'm interested to see how this one is received by the end of '21, which is turning into quite the year for amazing 5 Star reads!
The opening scene caught my attention immediately as our protagonist Jane was unsuccessfully attempting to flee captivity down the long trail that leads from the cabin she's been held captive in for the past seven years, only for her captor Lenn to come back home early and almost effortlessly bring her back to her prison. Jane, you see, is a victim of human trafficking, and Lenn paid good money for her to be his bride, cooking and cleaning for him, taking the place of his dearly departed mother, also named Jane. As I turned the pages, I quickly learned Lenn was not entirely sane, and had a very unhealthy obsession with his late mother. Jane was to cook Lenn's food exactly the way his late mother did. Jane was to wear Lenn's late mother's clothing, even her old cloth sanitary pads!! The level of humiliation that Lenn made Jane endure was hard to read at times, but it also had me completely invested, needing to continue reading on to see if/how Jane was able to flee captivity. To boot, Jane gives birth to a premature baby girl, who Lenn also names Janey (cringe), and almost immediately Janey experiences health problems - she can't keep any of the cow's milk Lenn forces Jane to feed her down, and is becoming increasingly ill. With Lenn brushing her baby's health concerns off as growing pains, Jane is finally convinced she needs to get her and her daughter out of this prison, this time for good. If I wasn't invested already, I certainly was at that point! What ensued was a true edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting journey to safety for Jane, Janey and Cynth (Lenn's most recent captive).
I would challenge anyone to pick this one up and DNF it, it's just not possible. This novel was the perfect length at just under 250 pages, and before I knew it, it was over. I absolutely loved it! While this may be a book readers can only read one time, it's a book that any suspense/thriller fan MUST read, it's that good!
I sincerely hope this is adapted to the silver screen, as I believe it would make one fantastic movie. Head's up for some major triggers with this one. If you can get past those, it's well worth the read. I'm interested to see how this one is received by the end of '21, which is turning into quite the year for amazing 5 Star reads!
July 5, 2021
Big sigh!!! Just another abduction, imprisonment, control over women story marketed as a "claustrophobic thriller." Wait, hmm, Lenn has my attention with his claustrophobic, disturbing, controlling way over Jane, but did that created the tension, sense of dread, and fear needed to create a thrilling, chilling and exciting thriller?
Will Dean offers us something different here with this "domestic thriller," and it was claustrophobic, but it didn't deliver on that slow-building tension, sense of dread, or fear. As disturbing as Jane's environment was, I never really got that sense of fear I wanted to feel from Jane. Maybe it had something to do with the author being male writing the POV of a woman fearing a man that distracting me from that. It was all about the strong theme of men controlling women, and I could feel that coming from Lenn. There is something a little different here with the way Lenn controls Jane, which was the driving force of the story for me.
Jane is not her real name but the name Lenn has given her. Her real name is Thanh Dao, she came to the UK with her sister and the promise of a good job but instead is sold to Lenn. A claustrophobic feeling is created here with the isolated wooded farm Jane is imprisoned in. Lenn is creepy, disturbing, and unsettling with the way he uses psychological coercion in a haunting way and physical abuse to control Thanh Dao. Lenn uses threats against her sister and the possessions that keep her connected to who she is. When Thanh displeases Lenn or breaks the rules, he burns one of her possessions. She loses a piece of who she is and struggles with being replaced as Jane, his wife, and the image of his mother.
Jane is a strong character, and I love the strength she finds to hold on to who she is while trying to survive, however her conflicts and actions felt a bit predictable. It was Lenn who stoled the show for me with his unsettling calm way of thinking the forced daily repetitive routine Jane must do just the way his mother did is a perfectly normal life with Jane that intrigued me from start to finish. A couple of turns to the story left me pleasantly surprised, and I didn't expect or see the twist coming in the end. The ending blurs the lines of fiction and reality a bit too far, but I did like the way it all wrapped up.
I received a copy from the publisher on NetGalley.
Will Dean offers us something different here with this "domestic thriller," and it was claustrophobic, but it didn't deliver on that slow-building tension, sense of dread, or fear. As disturbing as Jane's environment was, I never really got that sense of fear I wanted to feel from Jane. Maybe it had something to do with the author being male writing the POV of a woman fearing a man that distracting me from that. It was all about the strong theme of men controlling women, and I could feel that coming from Lenn. There is something a little different here with the way Lenn controls Jane, which was the driving force of the story for me.
Jane is not her real name but the name Lenn has given her. Her real name is Thanh Dao, she came to the UK with her sister and the promise of a good job but instead is sold to Lenn. A claustrophobic feeling is created here with the isolated wooded farm Jane is imprisoned in. Lenn is creepy, disturbing, and unsettling with the way he uses psychological coercion in a haunting way and physical abuse to control Thanh Dao. Lenn uses threats against her sister and the possessions that keep her connected to who she is. When Thanh displeases Lenn or breaks the rules, he burns one of her possessions. She loses a piece of who she is and struggles with being replaced as Jane, his wife, and the image of his mother.
Jane is a strong character, and I love the strength she finds to hold on to who she is while trying to survive, however her conflicts and actions felt a bit predictable. It was Lenn who stoled the show for me with his unsettling calm way of thinking the forced daily repetitive routine Jane must do just the way his mother did is a perfectly normal life with Jane that intrigued me from start to finish. A couple of turns to the story left me pleasantly surprised, and I didn't expect or see the twist coming in the end. The ending blurs the lines of fiction and reality a bit too far, but I did like the way it all wrapped up.
I received a copy from the publisher on NetGalley.
April 5, 2021
3.5 stars
Sooo….let me start by saying it’s been a long time since I met a character I despised as much as Len. But I should probably provide a little background so you’ll understand why I spent most of this book wishing him a slow, painful death. Possibly involving fire ants.
The author wastes no time setting the scene. The book opens with a young woman trying to escape from a remote rural pig farm. It’s not her first attempt & like all the other times, she fails. She is returned to a small cabin by her captor, Leonard. Through her thoughts & memories, we quickly learn that although he calls her Jane, her real name is Thanh Dao & she is a victim of human trafficking.
The story is immediately intriguing (in a car-crash way) & pulled me right in. The prose is stripped back, almost matter of fact in places, which makes Jane’s reality all the more horrifying. However, I found the next half an arduous & depressing read. There’s a lot of repetition in terms of Jane’s thoughts & Len’s dialogue. It’s an effective device that mirrors the monotony of their dreary & isolated existence. But it also makes for a slow paced journey over ground already covered. It’s clear there will be few real winners here & as the story progressed it only became more disturbing. I don’t want to spoil the outcome for anyone so I’ll just say the pace picks up, albeit late in the game.
Due to the subject matter, it would be weird to say I “enjoyed” the writing. But this author definitely knows how to push you from your comfort zone & evoke an emotional response. The fact I kept a mental list of ways to torture Len is a testament to his skills ( note to self: delete search history)
So…how to rate this. I think it’s a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”. It’s a well written, affecting story with moments where you catch a glimpse of hope. But ultimately I found it a bleak read, possibly more so after a year in our current reality.
Sooo….let me start by saying it’s been a long time since I met a character I despised as much as Len. But I should probably provide a little background so you’ll understand why I spent most of this book wishing him a slow, painful death. Possibly involving fire ants.
The author wastes no time setting the scene. The book opens with a young woman trying to escape from a remote rural pig farm. It’s not her first attempt & like all the other times, she fails. She is returned to a small cabin by her captor, Leonard. Through her thoughts & memories, we quickly learn that although he calls her Jane, her real name is Thanh Dao & she is a victim of human trafficking.
The story is immediately intriguing (in a car-crash way) & pulled me right in. The prose is stripped back, almost matter of fact in places, which makes Jane’s reality all the more horrifying. However, I found the next half an arduous & depressing read. There’s a lot of repetition in terms of Jane’s thoughts & Len’s dialogue. It’s an effective device that mirrors the monotony of their dreary & isolated existence. But it also makes for a slow paced journey over ground already covered. It’s clear there will be few real winners here & as the story progressed it only became more disturbing. I don’t want to spoil the outcome for anyone so I’ll just say the pace picks up, albeit late in the game.
Due to the subject matter, it would be weird to say I “enjoyed” the writing. But this author definitely knows how to push you from your comfort zone & evoke an emotional response. The fact I kept a mental list of ways to torture Len is a testament to his skills ( note to self: delete search history)
So…how to rate this. I think it’s a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”. It’s a well written, affecting story with moments where you catch a glimpse of hope. But ultimately I found it a bleak read, possibly more so after a year in our current reality.
February 19, 2021
Human trafficking is an enormous problem and as much as many seem to think it is random, statistics prove otherwise. We can think our county, our community, our neighborhood is safe from this heinous crime and yet millions of men, women, and children are trafficked each year. Forced labor, sexual exploitation, forced marriages, and even use of extracted organs can all fall under the heading of human trafficking.
For Jane,(Thanh Dao), a Vietnamese woman, brought illegally into the country, where she is trafficked initially to a farm but later is sold to a man, Lenn, who becomes her master in all things. He monitors her at all times, videos her every move and should she go against what he desires, he punishes her by removing things that once linked her to her family. He continual lies about her younger sister's,(Kim-LY) stance as a way to hold Jane in his clutches. She has no way to physically rebel, and yet in her mind she plots and plans every day. Then Jane becomes pregnant and although she thinks she will give birth to a monster like its father, she comes to love the child growing within her. She knows she will do anything possible to protect the daughter she has but there are a number of times when Mary's life hangs in the balance. Adding to the terror of the situation that Jane has suffered for seven years is the fact that her captor has taken another woman and confined her to the basement composed of dirt and detriment. Forced to come to terms with the horrid reality of what has happened she fosters an escape with the other woman and as they make their way find another surprise awaits them.
This harrowing tale had an aura of authenticity, as one that made the reader feel as if they too, were in the isolated farmhouse with Jane. The author's depiction of Lenn, the enslaver, was absolutely frightening. He was a man who was so influenced by his now dead mother that he found it easy to travel the road to cruelty and punishment. However, as so many subjugators do, he would sometimes show a spot of kindness and Jane would be grateful and subdued.
This heartrending book was one that had this reader frantic at times as to both the uncertainly and cruelty of Jane's situation, offering up prayers that she would one day find her way to the freedom she so richly deserved. Although this was a fictitious story, the elements of it were true. For more on the facts of human trafficking https://www.factretriever.com/human-t...
Thank you to Will Dean, Atria Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this story due out April 20, 2021.
For Jane,(Thanh Dao), a Vietnamese woman, brought illegally into the country, where she is trafficked initially to a farm but later is sold to a man, Lenn, who becomes her master in all things. He monitors her at all times, videos her every move and should she go against what he desires, he punishes her by removing things that once linked her to her family. He continual lies about her younger sister's,(Kim-LY) stance as a way to hold Jane in his clutches. She has no way to physically rebel, and yet in her mind she plots and plans every day. Then Jane becomes pregnant and although she thinks she will give birth to a monster like its father, she comes to love the child growing within her. She knows she will do anything possible to protect the daughter she has but there are a number of times when Mary's life hangs in the balance. Adding to the terror of the situation that Jane has suffered for seven years is the fact that her captor has taken another woman and confined her to the basement composed of dirt and detriment. Forced to come to terms with the horrid reality of what has happened she fosters an escape with the other woman and as they make their way find another surprise awaits them.
This harrowing tale had an aura of authenticity, as one that made the reader feel as if they too, were in the isolated farmhouse with Jane. The author's depiction of Lenn, the enslaver, was absolutely frightening. He was a man who was so influenced by his now dead mother that he found it easy to travel the road to cruelty and punishment. However, as so many subjugators do, he would sometimes show a spot of kindness and Jane would be grateful and subdued.
This heartrending book was one that had this reader frantic at times as to both the uncertainly and cruelty of Jane's situation, offering up prayers that she would one day find her way to the freedom she so richly deserved. Although this was a fictitious story, the elements of it were true. For more on the facts of human trafficking https://www.factretriever.com/human-t...
Thank you to Will Dean, Atria Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this story due out April 20, 2021.
August 7, 2021
“Not a bad life, is it, really? It’s alright, ain’t it?”
Thanh Dao and her sister, Kim-Ly travel to the UK in search of a better life life. They leave their home in Vietnam, only to find themselves caught in a human trafficking ring. After two years of hard work, Thanh-Dao comes to live with Leonard on Fenland Farm. He names her Jane, and forces her to keep up a strict daily routine or he will burn her only possessions. When he punishes her by smashing her foot, she is made dependent on horse pills to dull the horrible pain she suffers on a daily basis. Unable to physically run away, Jane is bound to stay subservient to Lenn, fulfilling her wifely duties. When Jane realizes she is pregnant, she vows to make a better life for herself and her child. Unexpectedly, Lenn takes another woman prisoner and Thanh Dao is forced to decide whether to risk everything by helping all three of them escape.
I read this book in one day, a new record! I was drawn into the story immediately and just couldn’t put it down until the end. Leonard is a terrifying character, who is able to frighten everyone (including the reader) with just his actions. He is mostly calm, which makes him all the more terrifying. All of his rituals are so intriguing psychologically, but I wanted more backstory to explain his odd behavior. At times, the story became incredibly repetitive, and I am sure it felt that way for Thanh Dao as well, but I needed more plot twists to consider this a thriller. I’m sure it is not a coincidence that Thanh Dao’s captor is named “Lenn,” as this was a main character in his mother’s discarded book, Of Mice and Men. The correlation between Thanh Dao’s story and the characters from that book is genius.
This story ends a bit abruptly and I didn’t care for the additional epilogue. I found it unrealistic and a complete departure from the tone of the rest of the book. The author could have eliminated it completely.
Overall, this is a terrifying and disturbing book that will definitely stay with me for a long time.
Ham and cheese on white? No thanks.
4/5 stars
Thanh Dao and her sister, Kim-Ly travel to the UK in search of a better life life. They leave their home in Vietnam, only to find themselves caught in a human trafficking ring. After two years of hard work, Thanh-Dao comes to live with Leonard on Fenland Farm. He names her Jane, and forces her to keep up a strict daily routine or he will burn her only possessions. When he punishes her by smashing her foot, she is made dependent on horse pills to dull the horrible pain she suffers on a daily basis. Unable to physically run away, Jane is bound to stay subservient to Lenn, fulfilling her wifely duties. When Jane realizes she is pregnant, she vows to make a better life for herself and her child. Unexpectedly, Lenn takes another woman prisoner and Thanh Dao is forced to decide whether to risk everything by helping all three of them escape.
I read this book in one day, a new record! I was drawn into the story immediately and just couldn’t put it down until the end. Leonard is a terrifying character, who is able to frighten everyone (including the reader) with just his actions. He is mostly calm, which makes him all the more terrifying. All of his rituals are so intriguing psychologically, but I wanted more backstory to explain his odd behavior. At times, the story became incredibly repetitive, and I am sure it felt that way for Thanh Dao as well, but I needed more plot twists to consider this a thriller. I’m sure it is not a coincidence that Thanh Dao’s captor is named “Lenn,” as this was a main character in his mother’s discarded book, Of Mice and Men. The correlation between Thanh Dao’s story and the characters from that book is genius.
This story ends a bit abruptly and I didn’t care for the additional epilogue. I found it unrealistic and a complete departure from the tone of the rest of the book. The author could have eliminated it completely.
Overall, this is a terrifying and disturbing book that will definitely stay with me for a long time.
Ham and cheese on white? No thanks.
4/5 stars
July 4, 2021
Ok, wow. If you like your thrillers dark and twisty, this is it. In less than 260 pages, The Last Thing to Burn is a chilling, disturbing punch!
Here’s the teaser, “A woman being held captive is willing to risk everything to save herself, her unborn child, and her captor’s latest victim in this claustrophobic thriller in the tradition of Misery and Room.”
Will Dean completely captures every sense and the atmosphere surrounding being held captive. It felt realistic. I was worried about Jane (that’s not really her name). Her story is nothing short of harrowing, intense, and a battle for her and her child’s lives. Not only that, it’s written in such a quick and well-paced fashion, I could not put the book down. If you don’t mind going to deep, dark places with your thrillers, this is a can’t miss. Wow.
I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Here’s the teaser, “A woman being held captive is willing to risk everything to save herself, her unborn child, and her captor’s latest victim in this claustrophobic thriller in the tradition of Misery and Room.”
Will Dean completely captures every sense and the atmosphere surrounding being held captive. It felt realistic. I was worried about Jane (that’s not really her name). Her story is nothing short of harrowing, intense, and a battle for her and her child’s lives. Not only that, it’s written in such a quick and well-paced fashion, I could not put the book down. If you don’t mind going to deep, dark places with your thrillers, this is a can’t miss. Wow.
I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
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