Review: "The Last Kid Left" by Rosecrans Baldwin

The Last Kid Left, the third novel from author Rosecrans Baldwin reminded me of something Dan Chaon would have written, and I mean that as a grand compliment. This morally complex novel of murder, the media and the two young people stuck waist deep and upside down in the thick of all of it is a story filled with undeniable charm and empathy for those naïve enough to think that love will save them from ruin. Much like Chaon’s novels and short stories, it takes place in a relatively rural area that while not untouched by the modern world, is still worlds away from the lives of those who live in big cities (even though New York is only a few hours away from the fictional town of Claymore, New Hampshire). The lives of the people, especially those who are involved with the crime itself, are very insular and rarely reach outside the town. It is only when the crime at the center of its novel occurs, outside the town’s jurisdiction, do the lives of these people take a turn toward a grand tragedy. And the real sad part at the center of it, as we get to know a handful of people, is that what eventually happens seems rather inevitable. The crime I keep bringing up involves a double murder, which is discovered when nineteen year old Nick Toussaint Jr. crashes into a giant neon cowgirl sign while drunk on tequila. He quickly confess to the crime, but Martin Krug (his tough name hides a rather wounded person), does not buy it for a minute. We slowly learn about his relationship with sixteen year old Emily Portis, the daughter of Claymore’s town sheriff, as well as Martin himself, who is a recovering alcoholic whose second wife is in the process of leaving him and who finds a purpose in this mysterious case, and finally there is Leela, a former resident of Claymore who is brought back to the town to discover the story after her dreams of being a big time magazine reporter are also in the process of crash landing. You begin to see a bit of a pattern in the lives of the four leads Nick, Emily, Martin and Leela. Each was desperately lonely until something came into their lives that changed that. And when that thing is taken away, they will try anything to get that back. It is a strange dichotomy Baldwin creates with the crime: for Nick and Emily, the crime takes away the thing that made them feel less alone in their harsh environments (for Nick, it is a missing dad and a horrific accident that crippled him, for Emily it is a dark secret that she shares with her father), but for Martin and Leela, the crime offers to rectify their past and right the wrongs of their lives. Of course, it is not that easy. There are many twists and turns, friends betray friends, things don’t go as planned, but by the book’s rather beautiful final few pages, there is hope for the future. This is one of last year’s best books, and I hope this review gets you curious enough to go out and pick it up. 

Rating: 5/5