The Last Word by Lisa Lutz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Last book in the Spellman series, and it feels like it. You have to decide for yourself if that speaks ill or not. Personally, I don’t think it does, but then, I waded through all six Spellman documents without much break in between. I can imagine that reading one novel a year from 2007 through 2013 (with a break in 2011 for a stand-alone novel) would leave one wanting more out of number six. And it was only after publication that subsequent editions of number six were subtitled “The Next Generation” which, too, I think, set some unrealized expectations.
The theme throughout has been farcical dysfunction, and how Izzy is a reformed-screw-up. Here in number six, she’s fully adult, and screwing that up too, but it’s inexperience, not selfish indifference, that fuels the chaos. Thankfully, a tragedy of sorts brings the family back to being on the same team, and everything works out. This is what I mean when I say it feels like a final novel. A couple of dangling threads get tied up a bit too neat, and while I want to lambast Lutz for laziness, I’m going to instead forgive her the desire to just move one.
As a person who likes to write, I have a lot of respect for all of the various plot lines that Lisa Lutz manages to weave together. Dozens of different stories intertwining, some of them tied together, and some of them disparate. But for all of that, the Spellman novels were usually more about character than anything else. And let’s face it: everyone’s a foil for Izzy. So too in 6, the final foil, if you want.
As I’ve said in previous Spellman doc reviews, I don’t know who would read a review for this novel—if you’ve read one through five, I can’t imagine you’d look for a reason to read six. You’d just read it. Nor can I imagine someone wanting to check-up on the series’ worthiness before diving in. You decided if the first one is right for you, and if it is, so are the other five.
But for what it’s worth: Six is a nice finish. A little bit slower, a little bid sadder, a wee bit nostalgic, but ultimately, a nice smile and satisfaction at a series well-read.