The Last One: An addictive post-apocalyptic thriller

(Paperback)

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For fans of The Truman Show and Station Eleven,The Last One is a psychological thriller for our times. She wanted an adventure. She never imagined it would go this far. Twelve Contestants When Zoo agrees to take part in a new reality TV show, In the Dark, she knows that she will be tested to the limits of her endurance. Beating eleven competitors in a series of survival tasks deep in the forest will be the ultimate challenge before she returns home to start a family. A Game With No End As the contestants are overcome by hunger, injury and psychological breakdown, the mind games to which Zoo is subjected grow dark beyond belief. This isn't what she signed up for- the deserted towns and gruesome props. Is this a game with no end Alone and disoriented, Zoo is heavy with doubt regarding the life - and husband - she left behind, but she refuses to quit. Zoo must summon all her survival skills-and learn new ones as she goes . . . An Altered Reality Translated into over twenty languages, The Last One is a gripping, provocative tale of survival. It's a searingly modern thriller and a timeless story of a woman's journey home.

Reviews

A high-concept, high-octane affair ... The conceit is undoubtedly clever and well executed, but what makes The Last One such a page-turner is Zoo herself: practical, tough-minded and appealing * Guardian *
Clever in its concept and gripping in its delivery. This propulsive book is for everyone who ever thought reality television signalled the end of the world. Haunting, moving, and remarkable -- Karen Joy Fowler, Booker-shortlisted author of * We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves *
The Last One seamlessly melds two of our contemporary obsessions -- the threat of global catastrophe; the staged drama of reality TV -- into a fiercely imagined tale of the human psyche under stress. An uncompromising, thought-provoking debut -- Justin Cronin, author of international bestseller * The Passage *
Taut, tense and at times almost unbearably real, The Last One is both a compelling read, and a terrifyingly believable evocation of survival against the odds -- Ruth Ware, author of international bestseller * In a Dark, Dark Wood *
Alexandra Oliva's apocalyptic thriller The Last One poses another deeply relevant question: How is reality created and perpetuated by the media Oliva brilliantly scrutinizes the recorded (and heavily revised) narratives we believe, and the last 100 pages will have the reader constantly guessing just what Zoo is capable of doing to find her way back home. * Washington Post *

Page-turning and deeply unsettling.

-- Rosamund Lupton, author of international bestseller * Sister *
Tense and gorgeous and so damn clever. I loved every second. -- Lauren Beukes, author of international bestseller * The Shining Girls *
Clever in the best sense: Oliva is able to skewer reality show culture and dystopian tropes while never letting concept or critique become more important than a good yarn. The novel is thoroughly steeped in its times-the use of a Reddit-like forum plays a key plot role-but unlike other dystopian novels, it doesn't so much use contemporary times to warn us about potential future collapse as it shows what impact our times have on the ways we think about identity and human relationships. An astute and compelling entry into the post-apocalypse genre * Kirkus *
Gripping portrayal of an ordinary person's evolving survival instincts as she realizes she can't trust the reality she sees * Booklist *
Tense, riveting, and timely - The Last One is a conceptually brilliant novel, one you'll race to finish -- Karen Perry, bestselling author of * Girl Unknown *

Author Bio

A graduate of Yale University, Alexandra Oliva grew up in a small town deep in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School University and undertook intensive wilderness survival training while researching The Last One. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their brindled mutt, Codex. The Last One is her first novel.