Literary Leftover: Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon a Mystery Thriller

If you love documentaries about cults and how people escape them, this book is for you! Told in 2 timelines, Frida and Gabriel were raised in a cult but escaped as teens. They were as close as two siblings could be until tragedy and time began to pull them apart. Now at a luxury hotel in Utah, they are hoping to reconnect and recharge. When a pretty young woman if found dead, all signs point to Gabriel

If there was an “escaped from a cult” trope, this would be a top tier novel of that genre. We learn about life in the cult, how two teens managed to escape, and the difficulties of learning to live in society. Add to all that a murder mystery and this book is guaranteed to keep you interested!

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon

Literary Leftovers are book reviews and recommendations that do not contain recipes, but are books that I highly recommend.

Our Last Resort

by Clémence Michallon

Outline and Tone:

A Dateline documentary in book form. Frida and Gabriel knew nothing of life outside of their ultra-controlling cult. Inside the cult there are no families, no news, no freedom and one all-controlling leader. While toggling between 2 timelines, the reader learns how Frida and Gabriel, who operate as brother and sister, work up the nerve to escape and how they struggle to integrate into society. Gabriel even gets married and as often happens in our busy society, Frida and Gabriel who had once been as close as a brother and sister could be, drift apart.

After several years, determined to reconnect, Frida and Gabriel meet at a luxury hotel in Escalante, Utah. One night they witness a triggering event of a husband being verbally abusive to his wife and the next morning, she is found dead. The investigation leads detectives to suspect Gabriel, but could he really kill someone? With his dysfunctional upbringing, it seems plausible that he might not display the same values as the rest of society. And his wife did go missing (and was later found dead) several years ago. Frida is determined to investigate and solve this mystery, Gabriel could not be a killer.

Reading this novel reminds me why I watch Dateline documentaries about cults and about murder; I need to continue to learn what things to avoid so as to not be a victim. While poor Frida and Gabriel were in a cult because of their parents’ actions, at least they didn’t continue a generational curse of being so gullible.

The Best Quote:

When discussing her label as a nontraditional student, Frida says “‘Nontraditional’ could mean you were a single parent, or a veteran, or a newly retired ballet dancer: Or it could mean you’d been raised in a cult, escaped, lived in a storage unit for two years, in a homeless shelter for one, gotten your GED, and found your way to subsidized housing and education.”

Point of View:

The novel is told in first person from Frida’s perspective

The author: Clémence Michallon

Clémence Michallon was raised in Paris, but is not a dual citizen of the United States and France. After earning her degree in Journalism from Columbia University, she enjoyed success interviewing notable people such as author John Green and publishing her work in The New York Times and Time Magazine. She has a newsletter sign up on her website as well as a web page listing her scheduled public appearances. I recommend following her on Instagram to get more information about this amazing author and updates. She recently posted that this novel was acquired by Blumhouse Television with the plan to create a series adaptation. I will post an announcement when I see the production is being released.

What is not to like?:

I had to think long and hard to come up with any part that there is not to like about this novel. I would like to know what happens next. I hope that there is a sequel with just as much drama!

The verdict:

Wonderful! It is one of the best twists I’ve read since reading Gone Girl. The surprise will stick with you long after you’ve finished the book.

Book Statistics

Our Last Resort

by Clémence Michallon

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genres: Thriller Mystery, Cults
Setting: New York and Utah
Pages: 320 pages
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback, Audio Book
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Published by: Knopf (July 8, 2025)
Information Sources: Amazon, Goodreads, and Author’s website

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