Review: The Last of Us by Rob Ewing

The Last of Us by Rob Ewing

When a pandemic wipes out the entire population of a remote Scottish island, only a small group of children survive. How will they fend for themselves?
The island is quiet now.
On a remote Scottish island, six children are the only ones left. Since the Last Adult died, sensible Elizabeth has been the group leader, testing for a radio signal, playing teacher and keeping an eye on Alex, the littlest, whose insulin can only last so long.
There is ‘shopping’ to do in the houses they haven’t yet searched and wrong smells to avoid. For eight-year-old Rona each day brings fresh hope that someone will come back for them, tempered by the reality of their dwindling supplies.
With no adults to rebel against, squabbles threaten the fragile family they have formed. And when brothers Calum Ian and Duncan attempt to thwart Elizabeth’s leadership, it prompts a chain of events that will endanger Alex’s life and test them all in unimaginable ways.
Reminiscent of The Lord of the Flies and The Cement Garden, The Last of Us is a powerful and heartbreaking novel of aftershock, courage and survival.

Claire's review 4 of 5 Stars

This is a very intriguing story of a group of children on a remote island, who have been left all alone after a mystery illness wiped away everyone else.

This is a very moving story as it follows the children struggling to survive, yet at the same time, trying to hold on to some normality that they had before everything went bad. My only main complaint is that I found the story very slow at times, which made parts of it hard to read.

Being a mother myself this also had me wondering how my own children would cope in such terrible circumstances, and that made this pull at the heartstrings even more.