The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean

Synopsis

He is her husband. She is his captive.

Her husband calls her Jane. That is not her name.

She lives in a small farm cottage, surrounded by vast, open fields. Everywhere she looks, there is space. But she is trapped. No one knows how she got to the UK: no one knows she is there. Visitors rarely come to the farm; if they do, she is never seen.

Her husband records her every movement during the day. If he doesn’t like what he sees, she is punished.

For a long time, escape seemed impossible. But now, something has changed. She has a reason to live and a reason to fight. Now, she is watching him, and waiting . . .

Review
Will Dean is an author I have heard lots of goods things about, but until now I hadn’t read any of his books, and what a book to start with. The Last Thing To Burn is going to be a hard to review as I don’t want to give anything away, apart from that I now have no nails left and am emotionally wrung out. What I can tell you is that is the story of Jane, or Thanh Dao as she is known in her native Vietnam. She now lives in a cottage with Len, a farmer and her jailer, the man who bought her. She is watched by camera’s, treated like a slave, and punished if she does anything wrong, burning the few possessions she has of her own. But, after seven years Jane is watching Len as much as he is watching her, waiting for the opportunity to run.

The Last Thing To Burn is one of the most tense and powerful books I have read in a long time. The subject of human trafficking and modern day slavery is something that unfortunatley we read about all too often in the news. People sold a lie, that they can make a fortune in the UK, have a better life and be able to send money home to help their parents, when in reality they are paying a lot of money to traffickers, who then treat them like slaves until their debt is paid off.This is the premise for Thanh Dao and her sister Kim Ly, one sold to a farmer, the other working in a nail bar. What I admired about Will Dean’s writing was that he didn’t over dramatize the plot, I felt the subject was handled with well researched knowledge, compassion and a harsh reality. The story is told through Jane’s point of view, as we are voyeurs to her daily routine, the control Len puts upon her life with cameras all over the house, the way he uses pain killers and threats about her sister’s life to stop her running away. His depravity, and mental and physical torture are shocking to read about, but they are what fuels Jane to watch his routine, in the hope of a chance to run. The tension is raised with each day that passes building up to a chilling and nail biting conclusion.

What really stood out for me in the book was Will Dean’s characterisation of Jane and Len; slave and owner, man and wife, captive and captor. But taking this in mind it was Jane who was the stronger of the two. She has to fight physical pain every day, can use her mind and memories to take her out of the moment so she can handle the abuse in a better way and all the time is looking for that one opportunity, the chance to escape safely. It is her resililience and strength of character that shine through, and her bravery in the face of adversity. It is Len who is weak in character, needing to buy a woman to marry him, needing to use control and violence to keep her. His only personal reference to a woman in his life is his mother who he puts on a pedestal, and she is his guideline as to how a woman should behave, cook, keep house and treat him. I have to say he is a totally despicable human being, but frighteningly there will be a Len and a Jane out there somewhere.

The Last Thing To Burn is a book I certainly won’t forget in a hurry. Its claustrophobic with it’s single setting of the cottage, the domesticity of life, but mixed with the horrors of abusive and controling behaviour. It seems strange to say I enjoyed this book considering the the grim plot line, but it is testment to Will Dean’s writing and handling of the subject that I did. This is a powerful, chilling and informative read, and one I highly recommend. I am now off to order some of Will Dean’s books.

I would like to thank Jenny Platt from Hodder & Stoughton for inviting me to be part of this blog tour and introducing me to the writing of Will Dean.