Fiction Review: The Last Neanderthal

At the start of this year, I started a new reviewing job with Shelf Awareness, a wonderful publication that I have read myself for years. They feature great reviews of new books, plus interviews, articles, and other bookish fun. So far, I am very much enjoying writing for them, and best of all, I can now share my reviews here with you after they've been published (my last reviewing job published anonymous reviews, so I couldn't link to them or say that I'd written them).

Back in March of this year, I read my first book for Shelf Awareness: The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron, which has now been published. It was a great way to start my new job because I really enjoyed this unique novel. It follows the parallel worlds of a modern-day female archeologist working in France and the Neanderthal girl/young woman whose skeleton she is unearthing who lived there 45,000 years ago.

The narrative moves back and forth between the modern story and the ancient one, with the reader seeing through the eyes of the Neanderthal while the archeologist finds evidence that tells her that same story. Both characters are pregnant, so they are experiencing similar things as the story progresses. The Neanderthal portions of the story are very well-done and reminded me somewhat of The Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel (remember those best-sellers from the 80's?).

You can read my full review of The Last Neanderthal at this link, and you can sign up for Shelf Awareness' newsletter in the upper right corner of that same page.

Last Neanderthal
by Claire CameronHardcover

Purchase The Last Neanderthal from Book Depository.