This unforgettable debut, set against the dramatic Antarctic landscape, is ârefreshingly different, vivid and immediate. Midge Raymond has an extraordinary gift for description that puts the reader bang in the middle of its dangerous and endangered worldâ (M.L. Stedman, New York Times bestselling author of The Light Between Oceans).
It is only among the glacial mountains, cleaving icebergs, and frigid waters of Antarctica that Deb Gardener and Keller Sullivan feel at home. For a few blissful weeks each year they study the habits of Emperor and Adelie penguins and find solace in their work and in one another. But Antarctica, like their fleeting romance, is a fragile place, imperiled by the world to the north.
Each year, Deb and Keller play tour guide to the passengers on the small expedition ship that ferries them to their research station. But this year, when Keller fails to appear on board, Deb begins to reconsider their complicated past and the uncertainty of any future they might share. Then, shortly into the journey, Debâs ship receives an emergency signal from The Australis, a cruise liner that has hit desperate trouble in the ice-choked waters of the Southern Ocean. Soon Debâs role will change from researcher to rescuer; among the crew of that sinking ship, Deb learns, is Keller.
As Deb and Kellerâs troubled histories collide in this âoriginal and entirely authentic love storyâ (Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project), Midge Raymond takes us on an unforgettable voyage deep into the wonders of the Antarctic and the mysteries of the human heart. My Last Continent is âa sensitive exploration of how the smallest action can ripple through an ecosystemâseemingly impenetrable, but as fragile as the human heartâ (The Minneapolis Star-Tribune). âAtmospheric and adventurous...The story and vivid writing will keep readers glued to the pagesâ (Library Journal).