Book Annotation: Thriller

 Author: Riley Sager 

Title: The Only One Left

Genre: Thriller

Publication Date: 20 June 2023

Number of Pages: 383

Geographical Setting: Maine Coast

Time Period: 1929 & 1983

Series: N/A

Plot Summary

After a period of unemployment resulting from a suspension at her workplace as a home-health aide, Kit McDeere is assigned to Hope’s End, a cliffside mansion on Maine’s coast, where the infamous Lenora Hope lives bedridden after a series of strokes. Fifty-four years earlier, in 1929, seventeen-year-old Lenora was the only survivor after the rest of her family–father, mother, and sister–were murdered; and she was the only real suspect. 

As Kit spends time with Lenora, she finds she has more in common with her patient than she originally assumed. Such shared details eventually persuade Lenora to tell Kit what really happened that night, something that she has seemingly never done before. Rendered mute by her strokes, Lenora t her story out one page at a time on an old typewriter. But as more information comes to light, both about the events leading up to that horrible night and about the circumstances of Lenora’s previous aide’s unexpected departure, Kit finds herself in increasing danger and a race to find the answers to her questions. 

Subject Headings

Thriller

Mystery

Suspense

Psychological Fiction

Families

Murder

Historical

Appeal

Frame/Setting and Language/Style: Gothic Elements

This novel utilizes many of the elements stylistically known to Gothic literature with references to:

• the supernatural: multiple characters throughout the novel lean into the idea that Hope’s End is haunted by members of the deceased family, specifically Virginia Hope, Lenora’s sister

• constant threat of decay: the mansion is perched on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic and as the story progresses, as does the erosion of the cliff and grounds of Hope’s End 

• aristocratic/wealthy families led by a controlling father: the Hope family was a mix of Old and New Money and the father was concerned with complicated inheritances and societal pressures. As his business started to falter with the onset of the Great Depression, he became more aggressive in exacting control over his wife and daughters

• a distressed damsel: This role in the novel moves between a number of female characters, including the Hope women, Mary (the former caregiver), and Kit herself. They are characterized in these moments by the absence of agency to act and create change in their lives

Storyline: Intricately Plotted

With two narratives running throughout the novel, Sager creates a complex, and at times, convoluted plot. The story follows Kit with her experiences in 1983, but the excerpts of Lenora’s writing of her life in 1929 are truly what drive the reader forward. Just like Kit, the reader wants Lenora to write faster, to reveal her secrets sooner, in order to solve the mystery that surrounds every character. 

There are definitely weaknesses to a novel formed this way, the major one being that it is easy to lose interest in Kit’s life as her chapters become filler and chores to read before reaching the juicy melodrama of Lenora. Nevertheless, both narratives compliment each other and keep the reader guessing at what may be coming next. 

3 terms that best describe this book: Gripping, Complex, Dramatic

Similar Authors and Works
3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors

The Trial of Lizzie Borden - Cara Robertson 

Much like Lenora, Lizzie Borden is infamous for her assumed role in her parents’ deaths. Sager even created a macabre rhyme for her story that is reminiscent of the folk rhyme that followed Borden. 

It remains one of America’s most popular unsolved crimes, and the house is believed to be haunted. With the rise of true crime podcasts, this case is one most are familiar with.

Fans of The Only One Left who enjoy true crime content will appreciate the details of the case that inspired the novel.

Blue Blood - Craig Unger

Although Rebekah Harkness was never accused of murder, there are a number of rumors that perpetuate about her life. After marrying the heir to the Standard Oil fortune, she became one of the wealthiest women in America. 

A fan of The Only One Left may enjoy this book if they were intrigued by the historical context of Lenora’s story, and the difficulties wealthy women encountered that their male counterparts did not experience. 

The Gothic in Contemporary Literature and Popular Culture - Justin Edwards

The Gothic is a very specific type of fiction. The earliest work to call itself Gothic was The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, published in 1764. Very few of the works we see today are truly complete Gothic novels, but they pull extensively from the works of their predecessors by incorporating a number of elements belonging to the style of the Gothic. 

This book might be of interest to readers who enjoyed the Gothic elements of The Only One Left and want to know more about the role these elements play in contemporary literature. 

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors

Just Like Home - Sarah Gailey

Just Like Home leans farther into the horror genre, but still has that suspenseful thriller feel for fans of The Only One Left. This novel follows Vera as she returns to her childhood home, the Crowder House, where is forced to confront the complicated memories she has of her father, a serial killer. 

                                            The Book of Cold Cases - Simone St. James

A number of Simone St. James’ works could be well-received by fans of The Only One Left, but The Book of Cold Cases is a stand-out among St. James’ titles. Shea Collins runs a popular true crime website and is shocked when she is approached by Beth Greer, a woman who, at twenty-three, was accused of murdering two men. Much like Lenora Hope, she never spoke of the night, until deciding to share her story with Shea. 

There are numerous similarities between these two novels, but there are some rather significant differences that will keep readers from feeling like they’re reading the same thing twice. The two plots in The Book of Cold Cases run through 1977 and 2017, a change from Sager’s story set in 1929 and 1983. And St. James’ novel is set on the west coast as compared to New England. 

                                            The Life We Bury - Allen Eskens 

Allen Eskens’ novel The Life We Bury introduces the reader to Joe Talbert, a college student looking to finish a writing assignment for his English course. In an effort to do so, he meets with Carl Iverson, a Vietnam veteran… and convicted murderer. 

Much like Kit in The Only One Left, as Joe learns more about Carl’s life, he is compelled to find the truth and puts himself, and others, in danger to do so.