PositiveAsymptoteVergnaud’s translation deftly handles these tender, delicate vignettes, and honours the intercalation of Arabic words and wordplay that Daas interweaves in her spare narrative. Despite the little presence of descriptive writing, atmosphere and tone are not exactly sacrificed; rather, like the most vivid traits of memory, select specifics are emphasised in further relief, brought to attention in a deliciously concise style of writing ... With precise, spare paragraphs, one can be susceptible to overlooking what these experiences disclose. The Last One is a novel that challenges what constitutes faith and its validity, between society’s shared meaning and love in all its variant forms—the interdisciplinary and complex nature of love as subject, explored in mental and physical wellbeing, religious faith, sexuality, romance, parenting, and childhood. In dislodging taboo and its simplistic designations, it grapples instead with the multiplicity of our identity, exploring the full range of how we may fight to find meaning in the fragmented nature of life.
