"The Last Man on Earth Club" by Paul R. Hardy

File Size: 1268 KB
Pages: 418 pages
Language: English
ASIN: B00520977U
ISBN13: 978-1466361829
Purchase: Kindle, Paperback
Website: LastManOnBlog

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH CLUB follows a therapist and her six clients who are all the last survivors of their planets from various universes where planets have fallen due to various apocalyptic conditions. In addition, she's also juggling her own relationship which is struggling due to the increasing time she spends with the patients. When the patients are put in group therapy, with the hope their commonalities will help them begin the healing process, we find that these people are very far apart and it seems near impossible that they will find any way to come together.

The book is not a light read, either for its subject matter for length, as it comes in around 400 pages. The focus in the book shifts throughout, with each chapter clearly labeled who the focus is, though it always remains in third person. With some characters, we find it is a matter of being in denial or unable to express deep personal horrors; others prove to have aspects to their personalities that are like layers of an onion. All of the characters are interesting to follow, and I found I cared about their outcomes, though at first I got confused about some aspects of the therapist's life, in part because she was spending all her time with the patients. I didn't want to put the book down, but at times I had to because it seemed a bit too long, where as a reader I already knew the outcome of some people's revelations but they were strung out for dramatic effect or because of other people's storylines (Olivia and Pew are ones here). Overall though, it was a insightful read into a condition that affects the human spirit in a variety of ways.