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. I have not read anything by this Author before, although I have heard about him in the past. I will for sure read more of his work in the future.

The best recent thrillers – review roundup - The Guardian

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel. 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 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. A woman being held captive is willing to risk everything to save herself, her unborn child, and her captor’s latest victim in this “intense, dark, and utterly chilling” (Jennifer Hillier, author of ​ Jar of Hearts) thriller in the tradition of Misery and Room. 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.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. 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. 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.

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean - Book Review The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean - Book Review

I won’t go into too much of what happens but let’s just say two things occur that make Thanh Dao realise she needs a plan to get away from Lenn, one that will work this time. We get to know Thanh pretty well and – though I was occasionally frustrated by her inaction – we’re in her head so we know that she’s weighing the implications of any potential courses of action. The book opens with Jane (Thanh Dao) trying to escape. We learn however that years earlier her captor Leonard (Lenn) shattered her ankle so her mobility is limited. And she’s addicted to pain meds (the type given to horses rather than humans) as a result.Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died. Not since Lionel Shriver brought us We Need to Talk About Kevin has a writer delved into the complexities of a disturbed mother/son relationship. Until now. 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?)

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean | Goodreads

Thank you Nia, good we have convinced you to give it a read. It is a fab book so I hope you enjoy it too,

🍪 Privacy & Transparency

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! 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? 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!