The Last Time I Saw Her

After a year hiding out at a boarding school hours away, Charlotte (Charlie) Romer returns to her small Nova Scotia town to face the trauma and broken relationships of her past. Her ex-best friend, Sophie, is bitter that Charlotte abandoned her after a horrific accident left Sophie in a wheelchair. Sophie’s ex-boyfriend, Max, is the only one of her former high school friends who doesn’t seem to hate Charlie, but he has demons too. Charlie’s brother, Sean, struggles to keep the bill collectors and his violent druggie friends from the door. But Charlotte has her own buried secrets, and sharing what she knows could have disastrous consequences for everyone she cares about.

In her debut novel for young adults, Alexandra Harrington effectively evokes a small town atmosphere that is not quaint or pretty. Gossip is the town currency, and the entrenched town hierarchy means powerful, wealthy families get away with bad behaviour, and people on the other end of the scale are trapped in poverty. Sean and Charlotte must choose between buying groceries and paying bills. In spite of bitter arguments, the siblings cling to each other as the only family they have left, and their love and loyalty often mean making dangerous choices.

Depressed and desperate, Charlie slips back into the life of drinking parties, boredom and yearning to escape. But missing pieces of what happened last year won’t let her rest. Who drove the car that hit Sophie and Max? How can Charlie keep Sean’s friend Nick from trying to shut her up about what she saw? And where did Sean get the money to pay for her expensive boarding school?

Charlotte reconnects with Max, and together they gradually unravel what happened the night of the accident. But as the two teens follow the trail of evidence, some powerful people will do anything to keep their secrets hidden. As the fast-paced plot races through drug smuggling, blackmail and violence, Charlie and Max find themselves in a tense stand-off with high stakes.

The Last Time I Saw Her creates a powerful sense of place. Summer heat drips off the page, and detailed descriptions of the town, the sea and the river create a vivid backdrop.

One might question the plausibility of a major criminal secret existing in such a small town. The very nature of the village of River John, where people know each other and gossip is rife, makes it seem incongruous, if not altogether unlikely. However, as news reports demonstrate, crime is not limited to big cities, and the dark, dead-end quality of life in the town creates a tone of desperation.

Overall, The Last Time I Saw Her creates an authentic small town atmosphere, and a gritty, action-packed plot that is exciting and ultimately hopeful.