The Last Illusion of Paige White by Vanessa McCausland is a book that makes you wonder. Paige White is a young woman and mother who has managed to earn a living as an online influencer, specifically on Instagram, but who is having some marriage struggles. One day a mysterious image of her looking almost dead wearing a wreath of flowers and floating in water was posted to her account. Later that same day her body is found floating in the water. As the event gets blown up in the news, due partly to the mysterious events and partly to Paige’s online reputation, news reaches Sydney where Paige’s childhood best friend, Jane Masters, is a reporter. Now Jane finds herself faced with the prospect of returning to her hometown, a place that she had left and never looked back, in order to attend the memorial and to figure out what might have actually happened. As she works through what happened and asks questions around town Jane starts to discover that the answers she seeks may be buried not just in Paige’s past but also in her own.
When I first picked this book up I was expecting to be a little on the unusual side as it was supposed to be told partly from Paige’s perspective only from the afterlife. What I was not expecting was the third viewpoint of a different childhood friend who seems to be telling the story of their friendship from way back when. I also was confused for the longest time about why this particular part was interspersed with the rest of the story. Taken together with Jane’s perspective though we end up with an extremely nuanced view of who exactly Paige actually was. Something I found rather interesting about this book is how it addresses the concept of social media and the disparity between how we present ourselves online and in real life. More specifically it works on addressing how social media can also influence and change people and not always for the better. I know that is rather ironic to talk about considering I am writing a review for a blog but it is still something to make you sit up and think about your own online habits and behaviors. The story itself was incredibly well written and I was gently drawn into this mysterious story about a young woman who seems to have lost her life too soon. In terms of the mystery aspect, even with three viewpoints and one of them being Paige’s there was still a lot that was drawn out right until the very end of the story. Probably because of that there was a lot of tension which was only heightened by how fast-paced the story was. Overall, a great story that is earning 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.
A great thriller with mystery elements sprinkled throughout so it should appeal to readers who tend to already prefer that type of work. I would also suggest that it hints at the supernatural since it also includes Paige’s perspective from the afterlife. Considering the events of the story there is very little violence or adult content though there are some minor adult references. While it is aimed primarily at adults it could potentially be read by younger readers but I would recommend probably no one younger than about fifteen. It is good though and well worth considering if you think it sounds interesting. I know I am considering trying other books by this author. If you decide to try it, consider sharing your thoughts in the comments.