The Last Thing I Remember

One mistake that I make far too often is walking into a bookstore, "just to look around." I did this Friday, and this is what I found. I have not had a lot of time to read recently, but I was wanting a new book. So I picked up the first book that caught my eye, read the back to see what it was about, and decided to just see how good it is. For me, that is never a good option, because if it turns out to be good, I will be hooked.

The Last Thing I Remember is written by Andrew Klavan, an author I had never heard of until Friday. As the book began, I wondered if I would really like it or if I had made a mistake in buying a book from a guy I had never heard of. I was glad to find out that I had made a good decision; however, the bad news is I got hooked really fast. I never seem to get things done when I have a good book sitting next to me that I am dying to finish. Thankfully, this book turned out alright.

So you are probably wondering what this book is even about. Well I must say that I was slightly disappointed to find out that this book was about a high school student. It was not in the teen section of the book store, so I had not even considered this possibility. The book began with high school matters at first. Couple that with the fact that it was written in first person, I was really wondering how much I would like it. I typically do not like first person books as well. For one, you know that the person does not die since they are the ones telling the story. However, this book has so many twists and turns that it does not matter now.

Imagine that you are in high school, living an ordinary life (for this part of the story is crucial to understand). Then, one morning you wake up only to find that you are strapped in a chair in a small room, and all you can remember is falling asleep in your bed the night before. That is what happened to Charlie West. He fell asleep one night in his bed at his house and woke up in a strange room, strapped to a chair, hearing voices outside his room that are talking about killing him. The book begins by going back and forth between the present and the last thing Charlie remembers, the previous day at home and school. Through the flashbacks, we learn about Charlie's family, friends, and interests. These details then fill in the gaps of the story later on. For Charlie, he has only one option, escape. If he does not escape, he will die.

But how do you escape when everyone around you wants you dead? How do you escape when everyone you meet are against you as well? How do you survive when the whole world is against you? Furthermore, how do you make it through life when everything you have ever believed in is torn away from you and questioned? These are just some of the problems Charlie faces as he tries to discover where he is, who took him, and why they took him. It is obvious that he survives, but how?

I highly recommend this book. It is fast paced, well written, and intense. If you like good suspenseful books with some twists that will keep you guessing, then you might enjoy The Last Thing I Remember. When I finished the book today, I noticed that there is a sequel to the story, which is obvious by the ending. So I went back to the bookstore today to pick up book 2, The Long Way Home. I will let you know what I think of it when I finish.

Matt