Johnson, Angela. First Part Last. Simon Pulse, 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0689849237
I was not impressed with this book at all. I am generally a fan of books with an alternative timeline built into the narrative, but then again, that usually means the book has a deeper hidden connection at the end. Not only does this book barely surprise me with the final reveal (I was about 95% sure she had died during childbirth…so I was only slightly off) but it also felt like it left out half of the story. Apparently the bulk of this information is held in the first book of the series, so I left our class discussion even more disenchanted with the book than beforehand. I had given it the benefit of the doubt that I might have missed the point…but for a follow-up prequel, this seemed more like some cheap fan-fiction piece.
I began this book hoping to find a connection with the main character, because I started it after doing my single-dad nightly ritual to get my 3-year old in bed to sleep. I realize that I have a decade of life experience more than him, but I think we all enter into parenthood as fools who think they have a grasp on what it entails. His character’s experience seems to have very little depth or description. The only correlation that I felt with him was that I could tell he was tired, and even that is the cliché thing to warn young parents about. I really wanted a deeper look into his personal reflections and growth, but instead we get casual glances into a story where he seems to be applauded for barely being able to care for the child and making his decisions with no thought toward how it will affect him and his daughter in the future. Apparently the first book says that it all turned out peachy; but I don’t like the “end justifying the means” making it seem like no matter how, where, or why you choose to raise a baby…things will always turn out ok.
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