Last Places
| Written by: | Matt Guion |
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| Central Theme: | |
| Synopsis: | |
| First published: | July 11, 2010 |
Last Places is a 2010 novel written by Matt Guion. The story follows a group of eight friends as they meet together a year after the death of their best friend, Peggy de Witte, who was the central figure of the group. In order to help remember her—and hopefully bring the group back together—Peggy's boyfriend Dave suggests that they visit all of the places that each of them saw her last. Last Places draws a lot of influence from John Green books, especially Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns.
Tropes used in Last Places include:
- Betty and Veronica: Gil and Peggy for Dave.
- Birth-Death Juxtaposition: Gil's baby is born exactly a year after her best friend died.
- Break Her Heart To Save Her: Peggy distances herself from Lana, the friend most dependent on her, in hopes that Lana will find other people to make her happy. Even though she promises that it'll only be for a week, Lana can't help but feel it's more permanent -- it doesn't help that Peggy dies the day before the week is up.
- Burger Fool: Herb starts the story as one.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Dave wants to understand his dead girlfriend better, but the more he learns about her, the less happy he gets.
- Death by Sex: In a more literal sense than this trope is usually used: Peggy wouldn't've died if she didn't go to Dave's that night to have sex with him.
- Even the Girls Want Her: Especially Sonya.
- Hazel Eyes: Peggy.
- Instant Birth, Just Add Water: While it's not instant, the labor only lasts about two hours, while in real life the average labor time for a first baby is about twelve hours.
- Interrupted Suicide
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Peggy was one of these to her friends, though in unique ways for each of them.
- NaNoWriMo: The story is based on Guion's 2009 NaNoWriMo novel.
- No Social Skills: Rob.
- Posthumous Character: Everything we learn about Peggy is told through flashback and the characters' descriptions of her.
- Significant Reference Date/Significant Death Date: Peggy died on December 21, 2012.
- Teen Pregnancy: Gil has a case of this.
- Their First Time: Happened for Dave and Peggy less than an hour before she died. Though it turns out Peggy slept with Sonya just a few days prior, so this is only her first time with a guy.
- Twofer Token Minority: Sonya is a black lesbian.