The Last to Vanish

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: Megan Miranda

Author Megan Miranda worked in biotechnology for 10 years before moving to rural North Carolina with her husband and young children. Miranda began her career writing suspenseful young adult novels, eventually transitioning to adult mysteries and thrillers. Her debut adult novel, All the Missing Girls, became an instant New York Times bestseller, and her subsequent books received a prominent level of commercial success.

Like The Last to Vanish, Miranda’s novels typically focus on small communities in or near a secluded forest setting. Miranda reports drawing inspiration from her small North Carolina mountain community. Many of the author’s novels investigate human disappearances while exploring the morality of the central characters. Abby questions Celeste, Cory, and Patrick’s morals when Abby uncovers their controversial decisions and actions. While an element of natural danger lurks at the edge of the Cutter’s Pass, Abby confronts the dangers within the tight-knit community while seeking the truth about those who vanished.

Miranda also credits Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia as an influence in her early life (Miranda, Megan. “Writing the Woods.” Medium, 29 June 2016). She often reflects on a magical element in nature, specifically folklore. Miranda includes supernatural elements in The Last to Vanish when Abby feels the presence of the missing people, imagining them standing near her and asking for help. Abby often wishes to communicate with the lost people while she looks at their photographs, and she can sense when danger is upon her. The paranormal element adds to the novel’s dark atmosphere.

Regional Context: The Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail runs north-south in the eastern United States, spanning 2,200 miles and 14 states. Running along the Appalachian Mountains, the trail attracts hikers and outdoor adventure seekers, bringing visitors to the adjoining towns. Folklore and legends, including bigfoot sightings, assist in bolstering tourism along the Appalachian Trail. Several disappearances are reported annually, and the National Parks Service keeps an updated list of missing persons cases related to the Appalachian Trail.

Abby describes “all the ways something could go wrong out there. […] The stories of hikers stepping off trail, getting disoriented and unable to find their way back” (70). In addition to getting lost in the wilderness and perishing from exposure, animals, weather, and illness are identified threats. The characters in Cutter’s Pass exhibit respect for the natural dangers of the Appalachian Trail. Trey communicates concern for Celeste when he and Abby run into her hiking alone, a practice typically frowned upon. The Last to Vanish plays on the unlikely threat of human violence in the wilderness compared to natural hazards, relying on fears of the danger latent in other humans, which is often a staple of the thriller genre.