Last Woman in the World
Elsa Johnson

AFTER THE FIRES. AFTER THE VIRUS. THEY CAME. A remarkable literary novel from the multi-award-nominated Australian writerIt's night, and the walls of Rachel's home creak as they settle into the cover of darkness. Fear has led her to a reclusive life on the land, her only occasional contact with her sister.A hammering on the door. There stands a mother, Hannah, with a sick baby. They are running for their lives from a mysterious death sweeping the Australian countryside.Now Rachel must face her worst fears: should she take up the fight to help these strangers survive in a society she has rejected for so long?From the critically acclaimed author of Mr Wigg and Nest,The Last Woman in the World looks at how we treat our worldand each other - and what it is that might ultimately redeem us.'creepy and chilling, this becomes a hell-for-leather survival race through burning countryside' The Observer'enthralling . . . a powerful allegory . . . every passage swells with the momentum of an action-flick. Each page is shaped with an impressive, world-building cinematic scope' Jessie Tu, Sydney Morning Herald'Simpson's page-turner layers precise nature writing with a conspiratorial tone for our times, turning in a gripping apocalyptic thriller that infects the sublime features of the landscape with primal fear' The Guardian'Chilling in its warnings. Powerful' Good Reading'This novel is fast-paced, adrenalin-fuelled - and dramatic enough to keep me reading into the night' Sarah L'Estrange, ABC Online'Seat-of-your-pants gripping' ArtsHub'This book is deeply affecting. Inga Simpson writes with literary brilliance. The Last Woman in the World is an action driven novel, but it is also intensely philosophical, a clever study of character and intensely beautiful. Many fine books have been published in Australia in the last couple of years . . . This is amongst the best. It will stay with me long after the last page was turned' Living Arts Canberra'The Last Woman in the World is heart-racing, page-turning, hiding-under-the-doona stuff. A smart and pacey thriller that is also a lament for a world we have failed to care for.' Kate Mildenhall, bestselling author of The Mother Fault'The Last Woman in the World is a novel of fear, fire and an uncertain future. A powerful narrative in Inga Simpson's unique voice. Horrifying, yet humane and ultimately hopeful - a masterwork' Angela Slatter, World Fantasy Award-winning author of The Bitterwood Bible'The Last Woman in the World