Behind the Story: The Last Thing He Told Me

We’re going behind the story to examine where Laura Dave got the idea for her bestselling novel and more!

By The Bookery

Apple+ released “The Last Thing He Told Me” earlier this month, so we’re taking a look at the story behind the limited series and the bestselling novel, written by Laura Dave.

The Last Thing He Told Me is a thriller, but it has heart. The novel (and limited series) follow Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey, after Hannah’s husband, Owen Michaels disappears, leaving Hannah with a cryptic note and a mystery to unravel. Hannah and Bailey, once at odds as stepmother and stepdaughter, find themselves working to discover Owen’s true identity and forge a new way forward—one they never expected.

Where did the idea come from?

Dave, who admits to being fascinated by true crime, has said that the idea began to develop as she watched the fall of Enron, led by Kenneth Lay. “I remember watching Linda Lay give an interview proclaiming that her husband did nothing wrong,” Dave said. “I started to imagine, then, the story of a woman who felt certain of her husband’s innocence despite mounting evidence to the contrary.”1 Dave didn’t start writing the novel until about a decade later, but counts Enron’s demise as planting the seed for the idea.

What is the book’s central theme?

According to Dave, it’s love. “I always start with a question, and for this novel, the question was, can you know the people you love the most? And what does it mean to love the people you love the most?” Dave said. “So, what I have learned is, it's a constant knowing, it's a constant movement into knowing. And one of the gifts you can give people over a lifetime, the people you love, is to know and re-know them as they change and evolve.”2

What does Laura Dave’s writing process look like?

Dave writes first thing in the morning—“while I’m still a little foggy from sleep (before going online, before the demands of the day rile me up.)” Music plays a big role in her writing process, and the author often listens to the same song on repeat while writing a novel. For The Last Thing He Told Me, Dave says she had Bruce Springsteen’s “If I Should Fall Behind” on repeat. “I can’t imagine this book’s journey without ‘If I Should Fall Behind,’” she said.3

To learn more about Laura Dave and her next novel, visit lauradave.com. You can also watch “The Last Thing He Told Me,” starring Jennifer Garner as Hannah, on Apple+.

Sources consulted for this article:

1. Emily Meier, “A Conversation with Laura Dave,” Harbor Light (Harbor Springs, Mich.: July 14, 2021). Accessed on April 17, 2023. Available here.

2. Jonathan Vigliotti, “Laura Dave on The Last Thing He Told Me,” (CBS News: April 16, 2023). Accessed on April 17, 2023. Available here.

3. “Writers Write,” Literary Hub (May 6, 2021). Accessed on April 17, 2023. Available here.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.