I've been waiting way too long to read this book—ever since I learned it was being released in June of last year, and I was so excited to finally get into it!
However, my past experience with Sager's books has taught me that whether I read them sooner or later, I'll never be fully prepared. Let me tell you, I was indeed not.
"At seventeen, Lenora Hope / Hung her sister with a rope / Stabbed her father with a knife / Took her mother's happy life / 'It wasn't me,' Lenora said / But she's the only one not dead"
In 1929, Winston Hope, his wife Evangeline, and their youngest daughter Virginia, were murdered in their mansion atop a Maine cliffside. All the staff had been given the night off, meaning that the only person present at the time of the murders, and mysteriously, the only person still alive, was Lenora Hope.
Lenora was presumed to be the killer, despite there being no evidence to support the theory—but that didn't matter. By the time news got out about the murders, the damage had already been done. Lenora was seen by the public as a monster, forcing her to spend the rest of her life locked away in the family mansion, rather fittingly named Hope's End.
“Even a prison becomes comforting if it’s the only thing you know.”
More than fifty years later, Lenora couldn't leave Hope's End even if she wanted to. Multiple strokes have left her mute and paralyzed, with the exception of limited use of her left arm. Her condition requires constant care, and this is where Kit McDeere comes in.
Kit is an in-home caregiver who has more in common with Lenora than she'd like to admit.
What Kit insists was an accident caused the death of one of her former patients, and many people, including the police and Kit's boss, believed that it was actually murder. Much like with Lenora, there wasn't enough evidence to prove the theory, but it made finding work much harder for Kit. That's why, despite Lenora Hope's notoriety, Kit was in no position to turn down her latest job offer: move into Hope's End as Lenora's full-time caregiver.
“She’s capable of so little yet accused of so much, and I remain torn between wanting to protect her and the urge to suspect her.”
Kit and Lenora quickly settle into their new routine. Lenora, as it turns out, can communicate quite well for someone who doesn't speak. She can answer questions by tapping with her left hand on the arm of her wheelchair: once for no, twice for yes. She's also able to type short messages on a typewriter, a gift from her former nurse shortly before she fled from Hope's End.
One evening, Kit and Lenora are sitting by the typewriter when Lenora types out the first full sentence Kit has seen: I want to tell you everything.
This leads to many long nights at the typewriter as Lenora taps out the truth of what happened to her family, one letter at a time. Kit quickly realizes all the rumors about the murders weren't even close to being right—yet she senses Lenora isn't telling her the whole story.
Maybe Lenora isn't as innocent as Kit had hoped—but then again, maybe she isn't innocent herself.
“But that’s not what you’re most curious about, is it? You want to know if I’m as evil as everyone says I am. The answer is no. And yes.”
I'm not exaggerating when I say I couldn't put this down. It had me hooked from the start, and it only got better and better as it went on.
Now, don't get me wrong: I fully expected there to be twists. However, this was a whole other level! Every time I thought I had it figured out, or thought the mystery was solved, I was hit with more information and yet another twist, and the story of the Hope family continued to get darker and darker.
I've said it before regarding Sager's writing, but I think it's worth saying again: whatever you think is going to happen, you're wrong.
I also loved that he took the time to acknowledge and thank all the caregivers and aides out there, calling them exactly what they are: unsung heroes.
Now, I want to hear from you!
Have you read The Only One Left, or any of Sager's other books? Do you want to, based on this review?
Whatever your answers are, head over to my Discord so we can chat! We can talk about this book and so many others (but especially this one, because I'm still trying to process it and I have a lot of thoughts) with some wonderful fellow book lovers.
As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you'll subscribe and stick around!
'•.¸♡ Until next time! ♡¸.•'