The Last House on the Street

Oh man. So good! Two stories, two plots, two generations. Two seemingly unconnected story lines weaving themselves together until merging completely at a surprising end.

Ellie – 1965:  Home from university, Ellie announces to her family she will be spending her summer volunteering to register Black voters in anticipation of LBJ’s Voting Rights Act, a federal move to end racial discrimination in voting. Her family is outraged at this decision, as is the whole of her southern community. This is a dangerous decision, but her passion for Civil Rights overrides the threatening onslaught of opposition.

Kayla – 2010:  A young widow; she and her young daughter are moving into a brand-new house just down the street from Ellie’s old familial home. Co-designing the house with her husband just before his death, Kayla’s excitement has turned to dread. The dense wood behind the house now seems cloying; the small lake behind the trees now seems dark and murky. Nothing is how she thought it would be. Especially since someone one is determined to drive her away….

While Kayla’s current timeline leans toward more of a psychological thriller, Ellie’s effort with the Civil Rights movement brings us a different kind of horror. The mix of the two genres is unexpected, and I love it. I love being able to feel Kayla’s fear as she looks out into the woods behind her new home. And I can feel Ellie’s apprehension when facing opposition from her family, and those she has known her whole life. We get a glimpse of an era past while experiencing the repercussions still echoing in the present. Diane Chamberlain has done an excellent job keeping the reader guessing as she weaves these two stories together. I was completely immersed.

Things to know.  This story does contain some disturbing content. Racial violence, KKK activity, and a horrific crime.  However, such situations have been historically documented. They are actual key points of this story and without them, this book would not have the true impact the author was aiming for.  

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, especially centering around the Civil Rights movement. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, and especially Diane Chamberlain for allowing me early access to this impressive work!