Book Review: The Last Thing I Remember by Deborah Bee

For fans of Rubbernecker and Before I Go To Sleep, a tense thriller with a clever and original premise – and a devilish twist

Sarah is in a coma.
Her memory is gone – she doesn’t know how she got there. And she doesn’t know how she might get out.
But then she discovers that her injury wasn’t an accident. And that the assailant hasn’t been caught.
Unable to speak, see or move, Sarah must use every clue that she overhears to piece together her own past.
And work out who it is that keeps coming into her room.
A novel that grips from the very beginning and that will live long in the memory, The Last Thing I Remember is Deborah Bee’s startling debut thriller.

I’m a HUGE mystery fan, first and foremost, so when I was approached about The Last Thing I Remember and it was compared to Before I Go To Sleep (one of the best of THE best) I jumped at the chance to read it.

Sarah is in a coma. She doesn’t know how and she doesn’t know why she is there, or any of the events of her life that brought her to this moment. She is aware of the world around her and is totally concious of people surrounding her, but she can’t move or show them that she can. What frightens her more than the masses of memory loss is that she can’t piece together who keeps visiting her, knowing that it wasn’t an accident from information around her gathered, and that whoever did hurt her, hasn’t been caught. 

Teenager Kelly, our other narrator, knows Sarah well, being her next door neighbour’s daughter. She plays a huge part in the chapters, not only from her knowledge but as a close person to Sarah. The way their lives intertwined was peculiar at first but that outlook vanishes as the novel weaves new insight into light and through the messy, brilliant revelations, a whole world of startling discoveries and pasts come to life. 

The question that hangs in the air is; will the truth ever be revealed? Sarah becomes more panicked by the second, unable to communicate her terror except with us as the readers. Whereas I felt I couldn’t relate to Kelly in parts, she plays a valued part of the novel as we learn more of Sarah’s story and how finally the truth can be dug up, I did find I could feel the pain of Sarah who struggled to cling onto any shred of life and hope she had for the truth to come out. 

Overall, The Last Thing I Remember is a truly enthralling piece of literature. I recently heard it might be turned into a TV show or movie and I can definitely see how this is going to grip any audience. Without giving away too much (because where’s the fun in that? a mystery should stay a mystery until you read it) you must read this book. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, compelling edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller then you’ve found your new read. 

Deborah Bee studied fashion journalism at Central St Martins. She has worked at various magazines and newspapers including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, The Times and the Guardian as a writer, a fashion editor and later an editor. Currently, she is a Creative Director in luxury retail.