A remote Scottish island has been devastated by a plague-like virus which has killed everyone except for a group of children. We know not why. It seems the children have been on their own for at least a couple of years but they have lost count. They are a fractured group with two brothers living apart from the other three and a lot later they discover a lone mute girl. The whole thing is narrated by eight-year old Rona who still talks to, and indeed professes to listen to, her mother. It is graphically horrific, almost unbearably sad and hypnotically written. What those poor kids go through is quite dreadful. It is strange that such destruction has not affected the animals and big dogs run wild, kittens being a tasty meal. Raw, dramatic and emotional, it is not for the squeamish.
'A story about the strength and fragility of human nature. Rob Ewing's writing is powerful, compassionate and brilliant. I absolutely loved it' JOANNA CANNON, the author of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP 'Bleak, beautiful, gripping' IAN RANKIN, on Twitter The island is quiet now. On a remote Scottish island, five children are the only ones left. Since the Last Adult died, sensible Elizabeth has been the group leader, testing for a radio signal, playing teacher and keeping an eye on Alex, the littlest, whose insulin can only last so long. There is 'shopping' to do in the houses they haven't yet searched and wrong smells to avoid. For eight-year-old Rona each day brings fresh hope that someone will come back for them, tempered by the reality of their dwindling supplies. With no adults to rebel against, squabbles threaten the fragile family they have formed. And when brothers Calum Ian and Duncan attempt to thwart Elizabeth's leadership, it prompts a chain of events that will endanger Alex's life and test them all in unimaginable ways. Reminiscent of The Lord of the Flies and The Cement Garden, The Last of Us is a powerful and heartbreaking novel of aftershock, courage and survival.
'An amazing book of courage and survival ... a book about memory, friendship and hope. It's the kind of book that made me want to wake my children from their beds, just to kiss them and whisper that I love them. A tremendous novel - I absolutely loved it' Claire Fuller, author of Our Endless Numbered Days
Author
About Rob Ewing
Rob Ewing is a GP who spent several years living on a small island off the Scottish coast (with more than five other people). His poetry and short fiction have been published by New Writing UK, New Writing Scotland, and performed on BBC Radio. The Last of Us is his first novel.
