The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel by Laura Dave

One sentence summary

The Last Thing He Told Me is a suspenseful novel by Laura Dave about a woman’s new relationship with her teenage stepdaughter when her husband mysteriously disappears.

Genre

Suspense

Main topic of the book

The main topic of the book is the complex relationship between a daughter and her stepmother when the father disappears.

Key ideas

• Family relationships: The novel explores the complexities of family relationships and the challenges of navigating a step-parenting role when tragedy strikes.
• Grief and Loss: It shows the difficulty of dealing with the grief and loss of a loved one when they vanish without a trace.
• Identity: It examines how one’s identity and sense of self can be changed in the face of major life events.

Main parts of the book and a short summary

• Part 1: In the first part of the novel, we meet the main character, Hannah, and her teenage stepdaughter, Amber. We learn about their relationship, which is strained and difficult as they both try to adjust to their new family dynamic. At the same time, Hannah’s husband, Owen, mysteriously vanishes without a trace. As Hannah and Amber search for answers to Owen’s disappearance, they slowly begin to form a bond and learn to trust each other.
• Part 2: In Part 2, secrets from Owen’s past begin to resurface and cast a dark shadow on the family. As Hannah digs deeper into the case, she uncovers a web of lies and betrayal that forces her to confront the truth. In the end, she and Amber must confront their inner demons in order to come out on top.

Key takeaways

• The Last Thing He Told Me is a gripping novel about the complexities of family relationships, the power of grief and loss, and how one’s identity and sense of self can be changed in the face of major life events.
• The novel explores the bond between Hannah and Amber, which strengthens in the aftermath of Owen’s disappearance.
• A web of lies and betrayal forces Hannah to confront the truth about her husband’s disappearance.
• In the end, the characters must confront their inner demons in order to survive.

Author background and qualifications

Author Laura Dave is the bestselling author of eight novels including The First Husband and The Happiness List. She is a graduate of Vassar College and the University of Amsterdam, and was chosen by Oprah Magazine as one of their “Ten Powerhouse Women To Watch”.

Target Audience

The novel is appropriate for adults and mature teens.

Publisher and first publication date

The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel was published by Simon & Schuster in 2020.

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