The Last Neanderthal
“Narrators Lisa Stathoplos and Casey Turner share a similarity of style that underscores the theme of this audiobook. Narrator Lisa Stathoplos’ portrayal of Dr. Gale has an undercurrent of frustration and impatience related to the modern-day challenges of securing support for her work. But when the story deals with her work at the dig and her efforts to understand the story of the bones that have been discovered, the narration is measured and focused. Casey Turner presents a subplot, the story of a prehistoric character named Girl, whose entire life centers on basic survival, in a controlled tone that draws the listener in with the daily threats of Paleolithic life.”
AudioFile
A Globe and Mail (Toronto) Best Books selection
A Millions.com Pick
Forty thousand years in the past, the last family of Neanderthals roams the earth. After a crushingly hard winter, their numbers are low, but Girl, the oldest daughter, is just coming of age and her family is determined to travel to the annual meeting place and find her a mate.
But the unforgiving landscape takes its toll, and Girl is left alone to care for Runt, a foundling of unknown origin. As Girl and Runt face the coming winter storms, Girl realizes she has one final chance to save her people, even if it means sacrificing part of herself.
In the modern day, archaeologist Rosamund Gale works well into her pregnancy, racing to excavate newly found Neanderthal artifacts before her baby comes. Linked across the ages by the shared experience of early motherhood, both stories examine the often taboo corners of women's lives.
Haunting, suspenseful, and profoundly moving, The Last Neanderthal asks us to reconsider all we think we know about what it means to be human.
Praise