A Children's Bible

The new novel by Pulitzer Prize finalist Lydia Mille begins as a coming-of-age story that quickly turns into a thriller, smoothly transitioning into a dystopia full of allusions to the Bible and well-known works of literature (staying away from comparisons to “Lord of the Flies” will be difficult).

Twelve children are forced to spend time with their parents at a mansion by a lake. In the adults’ world, there is Sodom and Gomorrah, and the forgotten children observe them with contempt — they’ve even invented a game, the main rule of which is not to reveal who your parents are. When a devastating storm hits the coastline, the adults prove their incompetence again and again, and the children have to take responsibility for survival.

“Last Summer” is a prophetic, heartbreaking story about growing up and the inevitable splitting of generations.