I tried, I really did. And based on the almost universal positive reviews, I'm in the minority. But I really don't get the fuss about this book. The characterization was dreadful, so full of stereotypes that not a single character felt real to me - the passive and childlike, drug-addled mother, the abusive and skeevy boyfriend-of-mother who is also the rich man who owns the town, the cop who is tormented by the one unsolved case, etc. etc. etc. There's even a character who has all the hallmarks of the Magical Negro.

Audiobook, borrowed from my public library via Overdrive. Scott Sowers gives an awkwardly stilted performance as narrator. DNF at 18%, or about 2 2/3 hours in.



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Easy, interesting story to read. ( )

I read this book thinking it was another one. Once I figured out it wasn't, I read for the imagery. The author does descriptions well, but not plot and not character. This is full of blather and stupid. What a snoozefest. The synopsis is totally wrong. I did want to know how it ended, though, so I kept reading till the last page. There's multiple POVs for no real reason, mostly from adults. It makes me think that the author was not comfortable in their ability to write from the POV of a child. The imagery was pretty. This book is not a thriller; it's a weak character study. The voices differentiated from each other slightly, sure, and each character had different information from the next. They never really connected about it, though. Everyone was very one-note. One of the adults is intellectually impaired and has a special relationship with G-d. Why? Why that device? I suppose the author was trying to make him seem innocent and deaths he was involved in, seem accidental. What a silly choice. Especially when they're clearly deliberate. The author tries things that were new and novel for the time, and utterly fails. I skimmed a fair amount but kept having to go back and read preceding paragraphs so I could keep up with what passes for plot in this. This was poorly executed. I will not intentionally seek out future works from the author, nor will I recommend this to anyone. ( )

This is my second John Hart novel. I read Redemption Road first and absolutely loved it. ( )

The Last Child is one of those powerful books that takes your breath. It’s must-tell-all-my-reader-friends quality and it’s going to stay with me for a long time. ( )