‘Last Neanderthal’ is a blast from our past
Novel follows characters from two sides of timeline
Readers have been captivated by stories of prehistoric humans for eons — well, at least since Jean Auel’s phenomenal 1980 best seller The Clan of the Cave Bear. Claire Cameron’s arresting new novel The Last Neanderthal investigates the same time period with significantly more literary skill.
“If you happened on one in the woods — say, a female named Girl with a shock of red hair — it would not be by accident,” Cameron writes. “She would have sensed you coming long before, felt curious about another upright primate, and allowed you to approach.” The opening section of The Last Neanderthal (Little, Brown, 272 pp., eeeE) imagines this theoretical moment of connection between two species, one long extinct.
The story then follows Girl and her family group — Big Mother, Him and Runt — as they struggle to survive in a world that has changed without their knowing it.
Weakened by illness and a bad winter, the family prepares to make a difficult trek to the place of “the fish run,” where other groups gather annually.
But a sudden death forces Girl and Runt into the rocky forest terrain on their own, to search in vain for others. Why has everyone disappeared?
Cameron interweaves the story of Girl’s gripping quest with sections set in present-day France, where archaeologist Rosamund Gale has discovered a gamechanging pair of ancient skeletons that appear to be the remains of a Neanderthal and a modern human (homo sapiens) entwined in an embrace.
This narrative structure allows the author to explore both sides of the timeline: researchers tracking clues to learn about a vanished people as well as the adventures of those living in the earlier epoch.
The back-and-forth develops echoes between the two women, similarities in their stories.
When Girl and Rosamund become pregnant and give birth, we realize the fundamental sameness in those primal experiences — even across thousands of years.
The Last Neanderthal is most compelling in the chapters where Girl strives to find enough food for her and Runt to stay alive.
But Rosamund’s main conflict, whether the museum funding her dig will override her scientific bias for a glitzy big show, is less interesting because the stakes seem much lower in comparison.
Her thinking process about her discovery and her questions about the entwined skeletons create a rich counterpoint to the story of Girl in the forest.
This vivid and at times melancholy novel makes clear how much we carry on from those who existed long before us.