R.D. "Bob" Mathison’s Reviews > Last Night in Montreal > Status Update

These last few chapters leading into part three really upsettingly explore how fragile domestic stability can be when individuals prioritize their own obsessions or escapes over family bonds. I love how Emily St. John Mandel tells really big stories that still manage to feel incredibly intimate.

These latest chapters really emphasize how children get caught up in the decisions the adults around them make. Also, Lilia's revelation that she has "no first language" (existing between French and English) shows how her linguistic and psychological liminality mirrors her entire displaced existence between two worlds: her father's fugitive life and the family she was taken from. Love it.

Some themes that are already starting to emerge include the profound loneliness of linguistic extinction and cultural loss; how language shapes perception of reality, time, and geography; and the tension between freedom and rootedness. I just love the way this Emily St. John Mandel writes.