The Last to Drown

People from this house go down to the sea at night, and drown.

Tinna cannot remember the last words she said to her husband. Three whole months of her memories were stolen in the crash that killed him and left her scarred and suffering from chronic pain.

Adrift and struggling to reconcile herself to this dual loss, Tinna accepts her aunt’s invitation to return to her childhood home on a remote Icelandic coast. Perhaps the solitude and the sea will help her recover her memories.

But a greater grief has already taken hold here, one that has haunted the women of Tinna’s family for generations. When her secretive aunt forbids Tinna from going down to the shore in the dark, she still cannot resist. Then she hears whispers on the tide offering her the answers she so desperately needs. If she can bear the price.

Reviews of The Last to Drown

"A powerful tale of grief, hauntings and Icelandic folklore that asks what would you do to remember the worst moment of your life." Rhiannon Grist, BFS Award Winner

REVIEWS FOR THE WAY THE LIGHT BENDS

"Wilson's novel is rooted in a deep sense of place, beautifully evoking the history and magic of Scotland. A fantasy-tinged story about the hole grief makes, complicated family relationships, and the road to healing." A.C. Wise author of Wendy, Darling

– Winner of the SCKA for Best Novel Blurred Boundaries: Lorraine Wilson for The Way the Light Bends

– Nominated for the BSFA 2023 for Best Novel: Lorraine Wilson for The Way the Light Bends

REVIEWS FOR THIS IS OUR UNDOING

"Cinematic descriptions are intricately woven with engaging characters, intense narrative, and delicate relationships binding the past and the present.

An incredible story about the costs of accepting everyday violence, losses of privacy, intrusions on wildlife, human trafficking, the legacy of harm, loss, and trauma. It's also a story about family, healing, forgiveness, and possibilities. It's a touching experience that just might indeed be our undoing." Yvonne Battle-Felton