The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen
US pub date - 1/14/25
Let me preface my review by writing that I was really excited to read this story.
Newly attempting to be sober, newly estranged from her husband, Kerry arrives at the Twilite Motel in the Catskills. Without wi-fi or mobile connectivity, Kerry plans on spending the winter writing the book, for which she’s got a seriously bad case of writer's block, and whose advance she’s already long spent - viewing it as her own personal Overlook Hotel. (You know how I know this is a sh*t idea?… This is so obviously a sh*t idea.)
(Even Jack Torrance had more of a period of reprieve once he, Wendy, and Danny settled in at the Overlook.)
I’ll stop with referencing The Shining now because other than winter caretaking by an alcoholic writer when the power goes out, I don’t really feel that comparisons between the two are fully justified.
*the two POV’s were very similarly voiced - neither reliable
*repetitive mystery/thriller that read incredibly slowly for me until about 30%
*I found it predictable
*atmospheric
Readable - I’d probably listen to this if there were dual narrators, and I was going to reread it, to keep better track of the POV’s.
Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the DRC
