The Last House on the Street: A Novel
A community's past sins rise to the surface in New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain's The Last House on the Street when two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery.
1965 Growing up in the well-to-do town of Round Hill, North Carolina, Ellie Hockley was raised to be a certain type of proper Southern lady. Enrolled in college and all but engaged to a bank manager, Ellie isn't as committed to her expected future as her family believes. She's chosen to spend her summer break as a volunteer helping to register black voters. But as Ellie follows her ideals fighting for the civil rights of the marginalized, her scandalized parents scorn her efforts, and her neighbors reveal their prejudices. And when she loses her heart to a fellow volunteer, Ellie discovers the frightening true nature of the people living in Round Hill. 2010 Architect Kayla Carter and her husband designed a beautiful house for themselves in Round Hill's new development, Shadow Ridge Estates. It was supposed to be a home where they could raise their three-year-old daughter and grow old together. Instead, it's the place where Kayla's husband died in an accident--a fact known to a mysterious woman who warns Kayla against moving in. The woods and lake behind the property are reputed to be haunted, and the new home has been targeted by vandals leaving threatening notes. And Kayla's neighbor Ellie Hockley is harboring long buried secrets about the dark history of the land where her house was built. Two women. Two stories. Both on a collision course with the truth--no matter what that truth may bring to light--in Diane Chamberlain's riveting, powerful novel about the search for justice.BUY THE BOOK
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Community Reviews
In 1965, twenty-year-old Ellie Hockley has been dating Reed, who is earning fast promotions at the local bank, for four years and everyone, including Reed, expects them to marry. Round Hill, North Carolina is a close-knit community in which the residents are all acquainted and knew each other's business. Her parents are unaware that while serving as a reporter and photographer for the University of North Carolina's newspaper, Ellie was assigned to cover a protest against segregated business establishments. As Ellie and her lifelong best friend, Brenda, watched the students, professors, and townspeople kneeling side by side in the street, blocking traffic, Ellie took pictures and found herself "moved by their quiet courage." Ellie was influenced by her late Aunt Carol, a champion of civil rights who took part in the 1963 March on Washington at which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke. "Impulsively, before I had a chance to change my mind," Ellie relates, "I took my place at the end of the line -- which was in the gutter -- and got down on my knees" next to Gloria, the only black woman in her pharmacology class.
Home for the summer, Ellis is expected to work in her father's pharmacy. Listening to him read the newspaper, she learns that SCOPE will be comprised of more than five hundred volunteers canvassing seventy-five rural counties "with the aim of removing racism from American politics." Only thirty-four percent of black voters are registered, so SCOPE participants will be trained to encourage and assist them to register. "I knew in a way I couldn't explain even to myself . . . that I was going to be one of those white students working to register Negro voters. I knew it the way I knew my own name," Ellie recalls.
But in 2010, Kayla Carter is mourning her husband, Jackson, and steeling herself to move into the home they designed. The staircase in that home is where Jackson died tragically, leaving Kayla to raise their daughter, Rainie, alone. Kayla feels trapped. She dreads living in the house without Jackson, but doesn't want strangers to live in it, either. The new subdivision in which it sits, Shadow Ridge Estates, is on the outskirts of Round hill. With expansive windows, it is the only house in the new development that has been completed, situated at the end of the road. Behind it are dark woods -- "straight out of a Grimms' fairy tale." Just up the street, the old Hockley house is still occupied by Buddy Hockley, Ellie's brother, who refuses to sell to the developer. Growing up, the Hockley kids "just about lived in those woods, climbing trees, playing hide-and-seek, and fishing in the lake." They even had a tree house in an enormous oak tree. Kayla discovers it's still there and, unbeknownst to her, Jackson renovated it. Kayla's father, Reed Miller, admits that he hoped Kayla and Jackson would not build their home in the new development because, as a kid, he and his friends thought the woods were haunted. In fact, there remains a circular clearing in the woods where the local KKK used to meet in secret. Kayla is shocked when he tells her, "I knew some of those Klansmen. Back then, a lot of otherwise upstanding people in town belonged."
Kayla also remains rattled by the unsettling visit to her office from a woman who called herself Anna Smith and appeared to be disguised. She refused to remove her sunglasses and wore a red wig. She knew about Jackson's death, Rainie, and the new house. Speaking in a deep, raspy voice, she told Kayla, "No one should've put a house there to begin with. All those new houses. They don't belong. But especially that one. Yours." Worse, she claimed she has been "thinking about killing someone. I've been thinking about it for a long, long time. Years and years and years. And now I have the chance."
Author Diane Chamberlain compellingly recounts the experiences of the two women through alternating first-person narratives. Ellie convinces the local minister at the A.M.E. church to let her be part of SCOPE, even though the students selected are only supposed to be Northerners. He fears that Ellie's involvement might adversely impact the program, but her conviction wins him over. Her parents, Buddy, and Brenda are all horrified, disapproving, and worried about their own standing in the community when she announces her plans for the summer, but she will not be dissuaded. She completes the training and is partnered with Winston Madison, a young black junior at Shaw University in Raleigh who, in contrast to Ellie, is assigned to the area precisely because he is from the county and knows the people who live there.
SCOPE's mission is fraught with dangers that Chamberlain details from Ellie's perspective. She is well-meaning, but naive and idealistic. In various ways, as initially feared, Ellie's presence complicates the volunteers' efforts, despite her earnest desire to help bring about change. Ellie's experiences serve as a poignant reminder of life in the South during the tumultuous 1960's as the civil rights movement gained momentum in America. She is shocked to learn that North Carolina has "more Klan members that all the other states put together," and that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and looming enactment of the Voting Rights Act are causing them to enhance their efforts to maintain the segregated status quo.
And in 2010, Ellie and Kayla come face to face when Kayla sees Ellie at the Hockley house and stops to introduce herself. Kayla is mystified by Ellie's strange reaction when she learns that Kayla is the daughter of Reed Miller. Ellie has returned to Round Hill for the first time in forty-five years. She has been living in San Francisco where she teaches yoga. Now she is back in North Carolina to care for her mother and Buddy, who is terminally ill.
As strange and disturbing events disrupt Kayla's efforts to settle into her new residence, Chamberlain reveals how young Ellie's life unravels as a result of her feelings, choices, and refusal to conform to the expectations of her family and friends.
Chamberlain's two narratives merge as Kayla learns about Ellie and Reed's history, as well as what actually took place in the woods that long-ago summer. Chamberlain's story is full of her signature twists and shocking revelations. Young Ellie is endearing and sympathetic, but clearly inviting tragedy as she stubbornly refuses to see the world as it should be, rather than how it is. Chamberlain credibly illustrates how dramatically different the Ellie who returns to Round Hill is from the young woman who turned her back on her home and family forty-five years ago, although not even Ellie knows the whole truth until the story's jaw-dropping ending. Kayla is equally empathetic. She is a young, grieving widow intent on keeping her daughter safe who finds herself at the center of a mystery she could never have anticipated. Every supporting character is believable -- Chamberlain expertly conveys the political climate through characters who seem despicable with the benefit of hindsight but, in their own estimation, were justified in taking whatever measures necessary in order to preserve their way of life.
In The Last House on the Street, Chamberlain smartly tackles contemporary issues by relating a tale set fifty-seven years ago. The ongoing fight for voting rights is in the headlines on a daily basis, as politics figure prominently into "what should be a basic American right" but still isn't in far too many regions of the United States. The Last House on the Street is a powerful commentary not just about the ongoing struggle for voting rights, but also about racism, social injustice, and the freedom to love whomever one chooses. It is heartbreaking and memorable as a result of Chamberlain's restrained telling of a cleverly-plotted, riveting story -- neither of her narratives lapses into a preachy or self-righteous tone. Rather, Chamberlain lets the villains in her tale self-identify through deftly-timed revelations of their reprehensible beliefs and actions.
True to Chamberlain's style, The Last House on the Street is an exploration of relationships, particularly with respect to Ellie, who tragically comes-of-age with the knowledge that not all relationships can or should be long-lasting, even though we carry the memories of them and the lessons we learned from them with us for the rest of our lives.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Home for the summer, Ellis is expected to work in her father's pharmacy. Listening to him read the newspaper, she learns that SCOPE will be comprised of more than five hundred volunteers canvassing seventy-five rural counties "with the aim of removing racism from American politics." Only thirty-four percent of black voters are registered, so SCOPE participants will be trained to encourage and assist them to register. "I knew in a way I couldn't explain even to myself . . . that I was going to be one of those white students working to register Negro voters. I knew it the way I knew my own name," Ellie recalls.
But in 2010, Kayla Carter is mourning her husband, Jackson, and steeling herself to move into the home they designed. The staircase in that home is where Jackson died tragically, leaving Kayla to raise their daughter, Rainie, alone. Kayla feels trapped. She dreads living in the house without Jackson, but doesn't want strangers to live in it, either. The new subdivision in which it sits, Shadow Ridge Estates, is on the outskirts of Round hill. With expansive windows, it is the only house in the new development that has been completed, situated at the end of the road. Behind it are dark woods -- "straight out of a Grimms' fairy tale." Just up the street, the old Hockley house is still occupied by Buddy Hockley, Ellie's brother, who refuses to sell to the developer. Growing up, the Hockley kids "just about lived in those woods, climbing trees, playing hide-and-seek, and fishing in the lake." They even had a tree house in an enormous oak tree. Kayla discovers it's still there and, unbeknownst to her, Jackson renovated it. Kayla's father, Reed Miller, admits that he hoped Kayla and Jackson would not build their home in the new development because, as a kid, he and his friends thought the woods were haunted. In fact, there remains a circular clearing in the woods where the local KKK used to meet in secret. Kayla is shocked when he tells her, "I knew some of those Klansmen. Back then, a lot of otherwise upstanding people in town belonged."
Kayla also remains rattled by the unsettling visit to her office from a woman who called herself Anna Smith and appeared to be disguised. She refused to remove her sunglasses and wore a red wig. She knew about Jackson's death, Rainie, and the new house. Speaking in a deep, raspy voice, she told Kayla, "No one should've put a house there to begin with. All those new houses. They don't belong. But especially that one. Yours." Worse, she claimed she has been "thinking about killing someone. I've been thinking about it for a long, long time. Years and years and years. And now I have the chance."
Author Diane Chamberlain compellingly recounts the experiences of the two women through alternating first-person narratives. Ellie convinces the local minister at the A.M.E. church to let her be part of SCOPE, even though the students selected are only supposed to be Northerners. He fears that Ellie's involvement might adversely impact the program, but her conviction wins him over. Her parents, Buddy, and Brenda are all horrified, disapproving, and worried about their own standing in the community when she announces her plans for the summer, but she will not be dissuaded. She completes the training and is partnered with Winston Madison, a young black junior at Shaw University in Raleigh who, in contrast to Ellie, is assigned to the area precisely because he is from the county and knows the people who live there.
SCOPE's mission is fraught with dangers that Chamberlain details from Ellie's perspective. She is well-meaning, but naive and idealistic. In various ways, as initially feared, Ellie's presence complicates the volunteers' efforts, despite her earnest desire to help bring about change. Ellie's experiences serve as a poignant reminder of life in the South during the tumultuous 1960's as the civil rights movement gained momentum in America. She is shocked to learn that North Carolina has "more Klan members that all the other states put together," and that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and looming enactment of the Voting Rights Act are causing them to enhance their efforts to maintain the segregated status quo.
And in 2010, Ellie and Kayla come face to face when Kayla sees Ellie at the Hockley house and stops to introduce herself. Kayla is mystified by Ellie's strange reaction when she learns that Kayla is the daughter of Reed Miller. Ellie has returned to Round Hill for the first time in forty-five years. She has been living in San Francisco where she teaches yoga. Now she is back in North Carolina to care for her mother and Buddy, who is terminally ill.
As strange and disturbing events disrupt Kayla's efforts to settle into her new residence, Chamberlain reveals how young Ellie's life unravels as a result of her feelings, choices, and refusal to conform to the expectations of her family and friends.
Chamberlain's two narratives merge as Kayla learns about Ellie and Reed's history, as well as what actually took place in the woods that long-ago summer. Chamberlain's story is full of her signature twists and shocking revelations. Young Ellie is endearing and sympathetic, but clearly inviting tragedy as she stubbornly refuses to see the world as it should be, rather than how it is. Chamberlain credibly illustrates how dramatically different the Ellie who returns to Round Hill is from the young woman who turned her back on her home and family forty-five years ago, although not even Ellie knows the whole truth until the story's jaw-dropping ending. Kayla is equally empathetic. She is a young, grieving widow intent on keeping her daughter safe who finds herself at the center of a mystery she could never have anticipated. Every supporting character is believable -- Chamberlain expertly conveys the political climate through characters who seem despicable with the benefit of hindsight but, in their own estimation, were justified in taking whatever measures necessary in order to preserve their way of life.
In The Last House on the Street, Chamberlain smartly tackles contemporary issues by relating a tale set fifty-seven years ago. The ongoing fight for voting rights is in the headlines on a daily basis, as politics figure prominently into "what should be a basic American right" but still isn't in far too many regions of the United States. The Last House on the Street is a powerful commentary not just about the ongoing struggle for voting rights, but also about racism, social injustice, and the freedom to love whomever one chooses. It is heartbreaking and memorable as a result of Chamberlain's restrained telling of a cleverly-plotted, riveting story -- neither of her narratives lapses into a preachy or self-righteous tone. Rather, Chamberlain lets the villains in her tale self-identify through deftly-timed revelations of their reprehensible beliefs and actions.
True to Chamberlain's style, The Last House on the Street is an exploration of relationships, particularly with respect to Ellie, who tragically comes-of-age with the knowledge that not all relationships can or should be long-lasting, even though we carry the memories of them and the lessons we learned from them with us for the rest of our lives.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Diane Chamberlain is one of those authors that will never disappoint you. When you pick up one of her books, you KNOW you're going to enjoy it. So I was not surprised in the slightest when I got through "The Last House on the Street" in one. single. day.
Ellie's story was a beautiful telling of who you can love and who you can trust. Chamberlain wrote so beautifully and heartbreakingly about the struggle between whites and blacks in the South, mid-1960s. It was accurate...and it was terrifying. What struck me most was how well Chamberlain subtly hinted at the fact that these same problems exist today, and we need to stop ignoring them. While this time period was a slow build to the main action, it was so worth it in the end.
In our other timeline, set in 2010, we find Kayla - a newly widowed architect struggling with the loss of her husband and the sometimes scary woods surrounding the home she and said husband had designed and built together. She and her little girl deal with being harassed and haunted...but why?
Eventually the two timelines come together for one explosive finale and I Am Here For It! Wow!
This book was a solid 4.5 stars for me. I highly recommend it to my fellow Chamberlain Fans and anyone who enjoys historical fiction and/or a dual timeline - which are my favorite go-tos.
A HUGE Thank You to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of the book for me to read and review.
Ellie's story was a beautiful telling of who you can love and who you can trust. Chamberlain wrote so beautifully and heartbreakingly about the struggle between whites and blacks in the South, mid-1960s. It was accurate...and it was terrifying. What struck me most was how well Chamberlain subtly hinted at the fact that these same problems exist today, and we need to stop ignoring them. While this time period was a slow build to the main action, it was so worth it in the end.
In our other timeline, set in 2010, we find Kayla - a newly widowed architect struggling with the loss of her husband and the sometimes scary woods surrounding the home she and said husband had designed and built together. She and her little girl deal with being harassed and haunted...but why?
Eventually the two timelines come together for one explosive finale and I Am Here For It! Wow!
This book was a solid 4.5 stars for me. I highly recommend it to my fellow Chamberlain Fans and anyone who enjoys historical fiction and/or a dual timeline - which are my favorite go-tos.
A HUGE Thank You to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of the book for me to read and review.
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