Author: Diane Chamberlain

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 9781250267962

Two women are connected to a tragedy by a house in a well-to-do neighborhood. As one tries to make sense of what happened, the other wants to forget the entire incident. Author Diane Chamberlain returns with her attention to detail in the compelling yet incomplete novel The Last House on the Street.

Kayla Carter can’t focus these days. Her husband, Jackson, died in a terrible accident in the half-finished house the two of them designed together. Now the house is done, but she has no inclination to move in. Yet she doesn’t have a choice. She and Jackson sank most of their money into the home, and it was his dream house to live there and raise their three-year-old daughter, Rainie.

Even before Kayla moves in, though, there are problems. A strange woman visits her at the architecture firm where she and Jackson worked together. The woman threatens Kayla—at least, it sounds like a threat—and it freaks Kayla out. After she moves in, someone begins harassing her with property damage and fake phone calls but she doesn’t know why.

Her new neighborhood, Shadow Ridge Estates, was supposed to be a refuge in their small town of Round Hill, North Carolina. The woods behind the house leave Kayla feeling unsettled, but Jackson loved them and picked their lot because of the close proximity to nature. He even insisted on floor-to-ceiling windows so they could look out and see the woods.

Kayla’s apprehension remains when she meets the Hockley family who live in the only old house left on the street. Everyone else is gone and gave the developers their blessing to redo the entire area. The Hockleys are the lone holdout, and Kayla’s dad tells her he wouldn’t be surprised if they never let their house go.

The connection between her father and the Hockleys, particularly Ellie Hockley, puzzles Kayla. She discovers that there’s more than a social connection. At one time Ellie and Kayla’s father were in love. Ellie, in fact, saw herself settling down with Kayla’s dad.

All that changed when Ellie got involved with a civil rights organization in the 1960s dedicated to helping Black people register to vote. Ellie’s eyes are opened to the racism in her own backyard, and she’s also drawn to another volunteer. Her parents barely tolerate her sense of civic duty, but for Ellie it’s an eye-opening experience that changes her permanently.

As Kayla and Ellie get to know one another, Kayla discovers some startling truths about Shadow Ridge Estates. She and Ellie will both have to decide if they can live with what she finds—even if that means admitting uncomfortable realities about themselves.

Author Diane Chamberlain excels in her research into race relations in the past, and once again her story shines because of her careful detailing. Here Chamberlain highlights the SCOPE project, a 1965 civil rights initiative to reach rural Black families. Ellie’s involvement in the group gives readers another window into that tumultuous time of history.

The book alternates between Ellie’s story in the 1960s and Kayla in present-day Round Hill. Chamberlain’s prose and character building shine during Ellie’s sections. Ellie’s apprehension at getting involved with SCOPE as well as her change of heart toward the people in her life are natural and organic. Readers will have no problem getting involved with her side of the plot.

By contrast, Kayla’s storyline is weaker. There isn’t nearly as much movement in her subplot. Kayla’s main function is to mourn her husband and wonder why someone would want to harass her; her sections are clearly to heighten tension for Ellie’s sections and also to act as transitions back to Ellie’s story.

The style and methods of harassment against Kayla border on juvenile. When the harasser’s identity is revealed, readers might scratch their heads rather than be shocked. Also, the main portions of Ellie’s story are compelling, but readers will find themselves asking a lot of questions about the rest of her life. 

Early on it’s revealed that she lives in California now, and vague mentions are made of her activism there. Yet readers never find out how she made it from North Carolina and the gut-wrenching events there all the way to the west coast. The leap is too big to make without some kind of information to bridge the gap.

The historical portions of the book are compelling and a must-read. The rest of the book doesn’t quite live up to that same benchmark. I recommend readers Borrow The Last House on the Street.