The Last Thing He Told Me: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

Good story and an easy read

Wow- reviews of this book are all over the place! I really enjoyed this mystery. I thought the characters were well done, especially Bailey the angsty teenager. It would make a great beach read as it was a page turner. Definitely more of a mystery than a thriller.

More like 2.5 stars. I had to finish it because otherwise it would have bothered me if I didn’t. I feel like it was probably way more hyped up than it should have been. Or maybe it just wasn’t my kind of “thriller.”

I read this for a book club, so questions are at the end of the review. The novel opens with a bang... Hannah answers a knock at her door, and its a little girl handing her a message - "Protect her". All the girl can tell Hannah is her husband, Owen Michaels, gave her the note to pass on when he passed her in the school hallway. From this opening, the book becomes a non stop train of questions about what is really happening to cause Owen to disappear, leaving his wife of 2 years with his angry 16 year old daughter - "protect her". Chapters alternate with incidents of her, Owen and Bailey in the past and Hannah putting together the pieces in the present. Hannah was really good at making connections and investigating stuff I don't think i would have thought of, and her unwavering faith in Owen and her protecting Bailey was compelling. I found this to be a non stop read and finished it in a couple of days (and late nights). The Last Thing He Told Me Book Club Questions https://bookclubchat.com/books/book-c... Site includes additional recommendations When you first read that Owen went missing, what did you think happened? Owen’s note to Hannah says—protect her. We know he’s talking about Bailey and protecting her from the past. Why didn’t Owen write more to Hannah? Do you believe he expected her to eventually figure out his past? On that same note, why did Owen conceal his past to both Hannah and Bailey? How would you react if your spouse deceived you about the central details of their life? Why was Bailey so cold to Hannah in the beginning? When did she began to warm up to her? Hannah’s parents pretty much deserted her and she was raised by her grandfather. So she was not used to being part of a family unit. Let’s talk about how Hannah and Bailey eventually became each other’s “found” family. Hannah eventually realizes that Owen has connections to Austin, Texas. So she takes Bailey there to see if they could find out the truth about the past. Do you agree with Hannah’s decision to go to Austin? What would you have done if you were Hannah? We eventually find out that Owen lived a completely different life than what was portrayed. His name is actually Ethan and Bailey’s is Kristin. He took Bailey away from Austin after testifying against his father-in-law and the crime syndicate. What did you think about all these reveals? Why did Hannah go to Nicholas herself? Should Hannah have agreed to go into witness protection program with Owen and Bailey or did she make the right decision in making a deal with Nicholas so Bailey could keep her identity? Do you think Bailey ever managed a relationship with Nicholas or any her cousins? Why do you think the author decided to use titles for each chapter? The last chapter is titled Five Years Later. Or Eight. Or Ten. Why such a vague timeframe? Does this mean that Hannah sees a glimpse of Owen ever so often? Or was that the first time she’s truly seen him? Is there ever a chance for Owen to reunite with Hannah and Bailey? Let’s talk about the significance of Bailey calling Hannah mom at the end of the story. Jennifer Garner is going to play Hannah in the TV version of this story. What are your thoughts on the casting? What elements of the book do you think they’ll include in the show? Discussion Questions https://readinggroupguides.com/re... 1. Consider the quotes that open each part of the book. What connects them? What relation do they have to each part of the story? 2. Consider the choice of narrator. How does the narrator shape our understanding of the contours of this story? How might the book be different if the narration switched off between Bailey and Hannah? Or even added in chapters from Owen? 3. In the prologue of the book, Hannah recalls that on their second date, Owen grilled her about the “could-have-been boys” of her past, “the men I’d left behind, the men who had left me.” (1) In what ways is Owen one of those “could-have-been boys”? 4. Discuss the message that Owen sends to Hannah before he disappears. What does Owen mean by “Protect her”? How does Hannah interpret Owen’s request? How would a different message have changed Owen’s intent and Hannah’s actions? 5. We learn early on that Hannah’s mother left her when she was young. How is this similar to and different from the absence of Bailey’s mother? How does it compare to the way Owen leaves Hannah and Bailey? 6. When Hannah picks Bailey up from school the day Owen disappears, Bailey comes out with “a needy look on her face that I don’t recognize.” (22) This is the first of the small but pivotal moments that transform Hannah and Bailey’s relationship. What are some of the other small moments in which they rely on each other? 7. Owen’s note to Bailey says, “You know what matters about me.” (23) What do you think this means? What would you hope that your loved ones would say are the things that matter about you? 8. Early on, Hannah compares Owen’s departure to that of her father leaving her mother: “Doesn’t that make me the same as her? Both of us putting our faith in someone else above everything else --- calling it love. What good is love, if this is where it leads you?” (45) At another point, she realizes that her belief in Owen will show her to be either a “steadfast partner or a complete fool.” (143) Discuss the relationship between faith and love, trust and foolishness. 9. In Austin, Hannah tells Bailey that she’s trying to protect her, to which Bailey responds, “But you can’t. That’s the thing. No one can protect me from this. So how about you agree to be the person who tells me the truth?” (112) What’s the relationship between the truth and protecting those we love? Can we do both, or are they mutually exclusive? 10. Hannah realizes that Owen isn’t running for just any reason, but that “he’s running from something he’s terrified of.” (150) Did you have any theories about what Owen was running from, and did the real answer surprise you? What are some things that might make you drop everything and run the same way Owen did? 11. Grady tries to impress upon Hannah the reality of transitioning into WITSEC, outlining what she and Bailey would need to leave behind to start their new lives. Imagine what that might be like for you and your family. What names would you choose? What jobs, hobbies or identifying activities would you have to give up? How would you make a life for yourself? 12. How would you feel if you were asked to take care of someone else’s child? In what circumstances might you say yes, or no? Owen placed immense trust in Hannah’s making a specific decision. Was it, ultimately, warranted? Was it fair to even ask her?

It makes you wonder...how well do you really know your significant other.