MY LAST CONTINENT: A NOVEL by Midge Raymond
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sad! Beautiful! MY LAST CONTINENT is a story about love and loss, about running away only to find yourself in a remote land of ice. I’m almost certain that reading this book will be the closest I get to Antarctica, and I appreciated the author’s gorgeous descriptions.

There are three main characters in this book: Deb, an ornithologist who studies penguins; Keller, a former Boston lawyer who heads to Antarctica as a dishwasher; and the continent itself, who brings Deb and Keller together and comes between them at the same time.

We know from the beginning that a tragedy is looming. A cruise ship in the area full of tourists has hit ice and a distress call has gone out. The story moves back and forth, past to present, as Deb reveals what brought her to Antarctica and how she fell in love with the penguins and Keller. Of course, there’s always an ominous feeling present, wondering what will happen with the doomed ship.

This book was well researched, and the author’s love of Antarctica shone through brilliantly. Though the ice is stark and intimidating, the ecosystem is fragile. Should humans be there? Maybe not, but I can understand why people are drawn to the last continent.

Fantastic debut novel! I listened to this book on audio, which was narrated by Cassandra Campbell. I think she captured the compassion, desperation, and hope of main character Deb beautifully.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.