Jon Keller is an American historian that is attending a conference at a Switzerland hotel. While having breakfast one morning someone shouts out that nuclear bombs have started detonating through out many big U.S. cities. Panic ensues as people frantically try to gather any and all information possible. Soon it becomes apparent that many countries around the world have been destroyed. Tensions are running high and the survivors begin to form alliances and develop a social system unto themselves. Well the big cities anyways. This story revolves around a group that survives. They are all at a Swiss Hotel for conferences, weird stuff, etc. As supplies dwindle and tensions rise, Jon becomes obsessed with investigating the death of the little girl as a way to cling to his own humanity. Yet the real question remains: Can he afford to lose his mind in this hotel, or should he take his chances in the outside world?

Hanna Jameson’s fourth novel, part murder mystery and part post-apocalyptic thriller – THE LAST – is out now with Viking in the UK and Simon & Schuster-Atria Books in the US. The Last is the story of an American academic searching for the truth about a girl who has been murdered in his Swiss hotel in the aftermath of a nuclear war that has destroyed most of the Western world. Amidst the panic, fear, paranoia, madness and mayhem, 20 strangers are left in the big hotel, a diverse mix of guests and staff, including the man with leadership qualities, Dylan, the hotel manager, Aussie barman, Nathan, a medical doctor, and an American history student that Jon finds himself getting close to. Water problems lead to the discovery of the body of a young woman in the water tank. Plagued by guilt for ignoring Nadia's last message, Jon finds salvation in investing his energies in investigating the murder despite others showing little interest. They feel there are greater concerns that face them with the collapse of the world as they know it. Jon documents what is happening, recording his experiences and events in his journal. Tensions, conflict and suspicions of each other rise to unbearable levels between the survivors as supplies run low. The survivors are also keen to ensure that their secrets do not emerge.

I was reading the opening chapter of What We Talk about When We Talk about Photoreconnaissance: The Legal and Performance History of Aerial Espionage, taking notes for an upcoming lecture series, and my phone was on silent. The only meaning we might have left as a species - indeed the only thing left that might matter, that might keep us motivated to get up in the morning - is in the small acts of human kindness we show each other, and in my compulsion to be helpful, useful, to keep things moving forward, I’ve mostly forgotten to be kind. Let’s talk about HEART PALPITATIONS! The ones that feel like they are going to BURST right out of your chest (almost like the Alien from that movie with Ripley).. upon starting “The Last” by Hanna Jameson – and seeing the words “Nuclear Bomb” and “Nuclear Apocalypse”… well, my heart started beating so hard, I felt like it was going to explode. Those are not words I want to see in my lifetime. Thankfully this novel is fictional.

Like everyone else in the room, I thought she had just become overexcited by a message or a photo, and returned to my book, but within seconds she’d added, ‘They’ve bombed Washington!’ we know it's bad. trust me, we are all fully alarmed. the news already feels like a horror movie, i don’t want my horror to feel like the news. There is a lot for readers to ponder in this book. What decisions would the reader make? Would the reader choose to stay at the hotel or leave to try and go home (or at least find others)? Would the reader assume a position of leadership? Would the reader be able to make decisions between life and death? etc. This is definitely a thought-provoking book. The book also does have some political talk and debate with characters blaming others for "voting for him" and therefore "being responsible" for the bombings. For me, this was a little frustrating as we never know more about the political situation. Who dropped the bombs? Why? Who is the "him" the characters voted for, etc. With rations beginning to dwindle and winter approaching, the survivors start to send out mini-expeditions in search of food and other supplies.Growing closer to Tomi, Jon finally decides to sleep with her. He hates himself for giving in to his desire, but Tomi reminds him that the end of the world changes everyone’s priorities. Life is no longer about what happened before—it’s all about survival in the present. They bond over their shared passion for history, giving Jon another reason to keep going. Nadia once told me that she was kept awake at night by the idea that she would read about the end of the world on a phone notification. It wasn’t exactly Kennedy’s Sword of Damocles speech, but I remember that moment word for word. Jon styles himself the journalist of the group and as such collects everyone's stories while he also becomes rather obsessed with the murdered girl. As such, he also becomes a detective of sorts, interrogating people and trying to get justice of any kind for the victim.

I thought the frequent references to browning, dying trees were a good metaphor for the remains of human civilisation. The soil and water are poisoned, the sun is blotted out of the sky and food will be difficult, if not impossible, to grow. Discuss the group’s judgment of Nicholas van Schaik after his attempted assault on Mia (pp. 195–200). What were the arguments for and against his punishment, and do you believe the final choice fit the crime? Why or why not? Explain what you would do in this situation. This reading group guide for The Last includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Customer reviews

Nuclear war has broken out and highly populated cities the world over have been decimated. Through early news alerts, Jon learns hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. A breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an American academic stranded at a Swiss hotel as the world descends into nuclear war—along with twenty other survivors—who becomes obsessed with identifying a murderer in their midst after the body of a young girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks. Dylan and a couple of other men left the hotel this morning with hunting rifles and returned with deer. The assumption seems to be that we’re going to be here for a while. I counted heads this morning in the restaurant and there are twenty-four of us. There are at least two young children, and an elderly couple, one of whom can’t hear.