Last One at the Party: Her new life began at the end of the world

Description

'A riotous, black-humoured tonic' Independent 'A masterpiece of modern fiction' Sophie Cousens December 2023. The human race has fought a deadly virus and lost. The only things left from the world before are burning cities and rotting corpses. But in London, one woman is still alive. Although she may be completely unprepared for her new existence, as someone who has spent her life trying to fit in, being alone is surprisingly liberating. Determined to discover if she really is the last survivor on earth, she sets off on an extraordinary adventure, with only an abandoned golden retriever named Lucky for company. Maybe she'll find a better life or maybe she'll die along the way. But whatever happens, the end of everything will be her new beginning. 'Fresh, frank, funny' Elizabeth Kay 'Brilliant. Creepy, witty, laugh-out-loud and shudder-inducing' Harriet Walker 'Harrowing, unflinching and uplifting' Jennifer Saint 'Original, brutal, funny and hugely addictive!' Emma Cooper

Bethany Clift is a graduate of the Northern Film School and the director of her own production company, Saber Productions. Her debut novel, Last One at the Party, was published in 2021 and the television rights have been optioned by Scott Free Films.

I adored this book . . . It's about who you are with nobody to witness you, what it means to be human, and how to live (the answer is getting plastered in Harrod's, something we can all relate to) * Gillian McAllister * Brilliant. Creepy, witty, laugh-out-loud and shudder-inducing -- Harriet Walker, author of The New Girl A fresh, frank, funny and surprisingly uplifting book about the end of the world * Elizabeth Kay, author of Seven Lies * Finished this last night and haven't stopped thinking about it since! Possibly my fave read of 2020 - sharp, funny, emotional and a refreshingly different take on a post-apocalyptic world * Lisa Hall * Really fun . . . like a dystopian Bridget Jones' Diary with echoes of Shaun of the Dead * Kate Sawyer * Scary, emotional - and truly a novel for our times! * The Sun * I haven't been so consumed by a book for a long time. This is a masterpiece of modern fiction, which I have raced through it in a few days. It has consumed my thoughts and will stay with me for a long time * Sophie Cousens * This post-apocalyptic rollercoaster ride is full of belly-aching humour and the touching tale of a woman faced with the end of the world * Magic FM Book Club * This dystopian novel is very funny, super-gory but a testament to the human spirit, which is also oddly life-affirming * Red Magazine * I inhaled it in two sittings * Stylist * Fast-paced, tragic, wholesome and laugh-out-loud funny, Clift's debut has left me grateful for the little things, excited for what else she has to offer - and making plans for my apocalypse bunker * On Magazine * Thoroughly enjoyable and warmly recommended. Think of it as a literary version of 28 Days Later: terrifying, convincingly constructed, heart-pounding at times, often blackly funny * Irish Independent Review * Amazing. Unsettling and dark and SO clever. One of the most unnerving books I've ever read * Cressida McLaughlin * If you want something super original and mad and at times, both moving and VERY FUNNY, this is it * Cesca Major * Last One At The Party is brilliant and creepy, yet surprisingly funny and feminist * Press Association * A compelling, engaging, enthralling novel that keeps the reader turning the pages * Lancashire Times * Funny but harrowing, unflinching and uplifting and so cinematic. I really loved it * Jennifer Saint * You need to read this one. Darkly witty, but also deeply moving, this is a brilliant debut * Best Magazine * A phenomenal book!!!! I've just finished it and am blown away . . . original, brutal, funny and hugely addictive! I just know I'm not going to be able to stop thinking about it for a long time * Emma Cooper * Bethany Clift's Last One at the Party stands out as a bold and humorous take on the [pandemic-based fiction] genre. -- Bea Carvalho * Belfast Telegraph * Tense * Grazia * Funny and profanity-laden, you could call this "Bridget Jones Does the Apocalypse" * Financial Times * A true pandemic page-turner, with a satisfactorily chilling end . . . * The Irish Times * Plenty of style, originality and verve * Irish Sunday Independent * Clift's novel is a riotous, black-humoured tonic to get you through this latest national lockdown * Independent * There are no holds barred in this cracking, remorselessly funny debut * Daily Mail * Clift has written a story that feels uniquely personal to its female protagonist. For all her lows, there are genuine highs, and for all her fears, there are wonders to counterbalance the desolation of her situation. * Culture Fly * Very relatable - an incredibly up-to-date feel * SFX Magazine * I obsessively read Last One at the Party - a novel about a horrifying pandemic which ends up being about female resourcefulness and the power of love * Julie Cohen * Reading it will either help your mental health or provide extra nightmare fuel. Maybe both. * The New Zealand Listener * The novel expertly walks the line between profane and thoughtful, and is as much about the why of surviving as it is about the how * FT.com * A true pandemic page-turner, with a satisfactorily chilling end * TheGloss.ie * A joyful, gutwrenching car crash of remorse, pluck, gross indulgence and shopping * Daily Mail * So dark. So funny. So mad . . . A truly epic, apoca-f*cking-lyptic read * Beth Morrey * Unforgettable and original and so many other things. Touching and poignant, crude and strangely voyeuristic, timely and deeply relatable. It had the power to make me reflect about so many things. Loved it. Five stars for sheer originality * Allie Reynolds * Intense and fun and gruelling, I just couldn't put this novel down * Jenny Colgan * Clift's gripping dystopia is terrifying but edged with anarchic humour * Daily Mail *