“Even a prison becomes comforting if it’s the only thing you know.”
If there are two things we here at What We Reading love in the world, it’s fresh pastries and gothic thrillers. Give us a creepy setting, some unreliable narrators and some tried-and-tested thriller tropes, and we promise we will lap them all up. Thankfully, we were able to enjoy both of these things when we sat down with Riley Sager’s 2023 bestselling novel, The Only One Left. As seasoned thriller readers, it’s a crying shame that this is our first taste of a Riley Sager novel, but we certainly had high hopes for this dark tale about an old woman, a heinous crime, and the murky mysteries surrounding it. But did our first experience with a Riley Sager book live up to our admittedly lofty expectations? Join us today at What We Reading for our The Only One Left book review to find out if Lenora Hope and the many mysteries inside the Hope’s End estate delivered on its chilling premise!
Date Published: 2023
Author: Riley Sager (Todd Ritter)
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 383
Goodreads Rating: 4.14/5
The Only One Left Summary
The Only One Left by Riley Sager is a gripping Gothic thriller that delves into the haunting legacy of a decades-old family massacre. In 1929, the affluent Hope family was brutally murdered in their New England mansion, with seventeen-year-old Lenora Hope as the prime suspect. Though never convicted, Lenora became the subject of a chilling nursery rhyme:
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
Fast forward to 1983, home health aide Kit McDeere, looking for redemption after a serious professional mistake, accepts a position at the crumbling Hope’s End estate to care for the now-elderly and mute Lenoar. Confined to a wheelchair and only able to communicate via an old typewriter, Lenora suddenly offers a tantalising proposition: “I want to tell you everything.”
As Kit helps Lenora recount the events leading up to the infamous murders, she discovers layers of secrets, deceptions and long-buried truths. The narrative weaves between the past and present, revealing that the story behind the Hope family tragedy is far more complex – and dangerous – than anyone could ever have imagined.
What Worked
The first thing to say about The Only One Left is that it reads like a thriller by an author who knows what they’re doing in the genre. The pacing of the book is absolutely spot on, keeping us readers hooked in the early stages by introducing the characters, the Hope Family massacre and the Hope’s End estate, and ramping things up as the revelations start to tumble. The subtle details that Sager drops in do a wonderful job in giving us plenty to guess with, and the overarching mystery about what really happened on the night of the murders is more than compelling enough to keep us hooked.
Twists are revealed at great times, the chapter lengths are solid, the characters are all multi-layered and work as believable potential culprits, and the way in which Lenora herself is depicted in the novel deserves a special mention. You’re never quite convinced that she is guilty, but there is always something being withheld that means you’re never quite comfortable declaring her totally innocent.
This feels like a true homage to classic Gothic fiction, from the archetypes of the characters to the environment of Hope’s End itself. The way in which the building is described immerses you in the story, and the entire backdrop, with its crumbling architecture and the stormy coastline below, makes it feel like a character in its own right, complete with its own hidden mysteries and narratives just waiting to be revealed.
Finally, we need to talk about the twists in The Only One Left. There are so many moments where your jaw hits the floor reading this book. It’s enough to give you whiplash. Sudden reveals, hidden motivations, unreliable narrators upending everything you thought you knew – it all combines to make this one of the most breathless reading experiences we’ve had this year.
Yet, we should also point out that having so many plot twists doesn’t make the story hard to follow. Attempting to summarise it all to a buddy reader might be a tall order, but you never feel lost with what’s going on when reading the book in the moment.
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What Didn’t
Not all plot twists are created equal and if we had to pick out a few potential shortfalls, it would be that with so many twists and reveals, it’s only natural that a few may fall short with their impact compared to others. Without delving into any spoilers in this review, a number of twists revealed during the final third of the book in particular felt a bit flat in comparison to others, taking the story in a direction that we might not have opted for ourselves.
Whilst the characters in The Only One Left all fulfil their roles nicely and serve as the archetypal suspects one would come to expect from a Gothic thriller, these roles don’t always leave room for many unique or distinctive voices to shine through them. The likes of Carter, Jessie, and Archie all just take turns speaking to Kit, pushing their own narratives on with the plot, and leaving again until it is time for another revelation.
Kit works as a main character, showing a good amount of empathy, courage and intelligence for us to experience the story through; but we’re certainly not going to end the year with her as our most memorable or favourite protagonist.
Verdict
The Only One Left is a homage to Gothic fiction and does a wonderful job in bringing all the dark, chilling and psychological formulas to the table. The mystery of the Hope Family murders at the heart of the story serves as an intense and compelling puzzle that readers will stay hooked on throughout the novel, and Lenora, largely on the back of her frail, disabled condition, works as the type of character who never quite know if you can fully trust.
The Gothic setting of Hope’s End evokes all the best feelings any fans of the genre are going to lap up, and the whirlwind of plot twists and shocking reveals makes this the perfect palate-cleanser for anyone looking for an addictive thriller to sink their teeth into. And whilst not all of them deliver the same gut-punching feel as the best ones in the book, there are still plenty of hidden clues and subtle nods to pick up on that make The Only One Left one of the best go-tos for anyone looking for a fun, fast-paced and thrilling read.
Our Rating: 4.5/5
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
