The last words of a book usually appear at the end of the last sentence on the last page, but last words appear much earlier in some books. How is that possible? It’s because the last words of a dying person — maybe a secret revealed at least or a confession to a crime — are sometimes what set the events of a book in motion.
Here are three books in which a person’s last words play a role in the plot.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
by Gary D. Schmidt
When Turner Buckminster reluctantly accompanies his parents to the tiny town of Phippsburg, Maine, where his father becomes the pastor of the Congregational Church, he is a misfit from the moment he sets foot in the town. First, he’s a complete failure at hitting a baseball in the approved community style. Then he befriends Lizzie Bright, an African American girl from a nearby community that was founded by former slaves. He also provokes the ire of Mrs. Cobb, an elderly woman who has kept the community enthralled for years with promises of what her last words will be. Tucker is inadvertently given the opportunity to hear Mrs. Cobb’s last words in a comical scene that helps to lighten the tone of an otherwise serious and thought-provoking story.
You can learn more about Gary D. Schmidt at calvin.edu/directory/people/gary-schmidt.
Under the Egg
by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
Theodora Tenpenny’s grandfather dies in a tragic accident only four pages into Under the Egg. Theo is present to hear his last words, but she is baffled by them. “It’s under the egg. Look under the egg. There’s … a letter. And a treasure. Before it’s too late.” Theo could certainly use a treasure, especially if it’s in the form of money. When her grandfather dies, she’s left with the burden of caring for her family’s two-hundred-year-old house and her emotionally fragile mother — with only $463 on hand.
Theo’s quest to decipher her grandfather’s last words leads her to a painting that may be a stolen masterpiece. It also raises questions about whether her beloved grandfather was, in fact, an art thief. In her determination to learn the truth about her grandfather, she is forced to accept help from other people, and she gradually learns that the weight of the world does not rest on her shoulders alone.
You can learn more about Laura Marx Fitzgerald at lauramarxfitzgerald.com/.
Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein
“Kiss me, Hardy” were reportedly the last words spoken by Admiral Horatio Nelson just before he died from injuries sustained during the Battle of Trafalgar. Those words become a battle cry of sorts for the heroines of Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein’s World War II novel. Maddie is a feisty, working-class young woman from Manchester with a knack for repairing and operating all things mechanical. Julie is a sophisticated Scottish aristocrat who was educated in Switzerland. Their friendship is forged under fire when they are forced to learn how to operate an anti-aircraft gun for the first time during an air raid. Just before dashing out from under cover, Verity says, “‘Kiss me, Hardy!'” Weren’t those Nelson’s last words at the Battle of Trafalgar?”
Verity is eventually captured and tortured by the Germans but continues fighting the war in a cat-and-mouse game with the commanding officer of the prison where she’s held. Maddie is part of the desperate effort to rescue Verity, and the “Kiss me!” phrase becomes a key part of the heartbreaking climax of the story.
You can learn more about Elizabeth Wein at elizabethwein.com/.
Of course, the last words in many books are like the last words in this post:
The End
Thanks to Alain Frechette at pexels.com for the featured image above.