The Last Time They Met

By Anita Shreve

This is the story about Linda and Thomas, who have a lifelong passion for each other even though they only meet three times in their lives, when they are 52, 26 and 17. It is about moments of no return and about missed and retrieved opportunities, time and memory.

The story is told in retrospect starting with the two main characters, Linda and Thomas, meeting at a writer's convention in Toronto when they are 52. They have been in love their entire lives but why they could not have each other is only revealed towards the end of the novel. The novel itself is divided into three parts. Part one and three are told from Linda's standpoint, and part two from Thomas' standpoint.

The character of Thomas is actually not new to this novel. He was also in one of Anita Shreve's other novels, The Weight of Water. It is not essential for this story to have read The Weight of Water beforehand although, if possible, I think I would recommend that you do.

In the second part of the book (the story told from Thomas' viewpoint) Linda and Thomas meet again in Kenya. By now they are both 26 and married, but once they meet again they cannot let go, so they end up spending as much time together as possible, until fate again separates them.

The last, and third, part of the book is the story of how they met. Linda comes from a difficult background and seeks comfort and attention in the arms of Thomas, who is a much more confident and secure person. It turns into love, and a love that is going to be with them for the rest of their lives.

The ending is really surprising because it is not one to be expected. I can understand why some people said they felt cheated by this ending but on the other hand, it can also be seen as giving a whole new perspective to the story. A book a really enjoyed reading.