"The Only One Left" by Riley Sager (2023)

 

This is my third book from Sager (Lock Every Door being the first, and The Last Time I Lied the second). I can now, like 100%, say that Sager has truly mastered the art of thriller storytelling. He knows exactly how to steer the dynamics of his plots in ways that amplify the sense of shock and mindblowingness. 

I appreciate the structure where the main storyline happens in regular, linear chapters intercepted by another storyline of what actually took place. When it comes to the interconnectedness between the two timelines, it was so well done. I was even tempted to only read the interludes but, for the best, I chose differently.

However, The Last One Left didn't sink in me the way Sager's other books did. Don't get me wrong. It's good and it could be great for some other readers. But personally, the book didn't feel serious enough or rather felt cartoonish enough the way Josephine Anwhistle's house (in Lemony Snicket's The Wide Window) stood upon the cliff, all ricketty and crooked and slanted. And the 'plot conveniences' or 'the deus ex machinas' were so much, the whole thing could've collapsed if one was taken out. 

________________________

Summary:

I've been looking forward to this one. It's really, like really, a page-turner with some good plot twists, however mild and cliche-like they are. There are some subjective points that stood in my way of immersion and completely prevented me from enjoying it, but overall, it's an entertaining book that aims to be consumed rather than leaving a noticeable mark on its readers.

"We Spread" by Iain Reid (2022)

 

I don’t know which one is more frightening, fear of death or losing your memories through dementia. This book is everything I didn’t want to read about in my current state—suffering from a killer routine where days and nights keep looping and looping seamlessly. That’s why I could relate to Penny. Perhaps, way too much to the point where the book pushed me away. Such a shame, really. I wanted to love this one as much as I enjoyed Ian’s first two books. But I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read something like that. Don’t get me wrong. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this one. Yes, it’s predictable from page one, but it was a nice dissection of old age, immortality, and the meaning of life and equally death.