Review of "Last Episode" by K.E. Adamus

Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)

K.E. Adamus never ceases to entertain us and make us laugh with her absurdist stories—which are simultaneously both humorous and thought-provoking!

Where does she come up with this stuff?!

Last Episode follows a disillusioned and disgruntled couple, Ilona and Mark, who have grown almost irreparably distant. While the book guides us toward reasons for their strained relationship, especially Ilona's addiction to watching TV, it's clear to us that there's a lot more going on than just a one-sided television addiction.

It takes two to tango, and it takes two to make a ginormous mess of a relationship like this!

So, what we're trying to say is... there's a lot of blame to go around, and Mark proves to be arguably just as culpable for the relationship's collapse as Ilona.

Let's jump into it.

This book introduces us to Mark, a rather insecure husband who manages to "finally" get his overweight wife to come to the gym with him for once.

Despite Mark being so judgmental and condescending about Ilona's size and sedentary lifestyle, it's not like Mark is some hardcore gym rat with rock hard abs who does professional workouts with superb form. He's more like a middle-aged dude with a dad bod who got prescribed 30 minutes of exercise by a doctor and who just jumps from machine to machine,winging things, flexing in the mirror, and checking Facebook between sets. His insecurity immediately becomes evident when he starts worrying about his wife potentially checking out other dudes in the gym, including an OLD MAN (who hilariously reappears later). We also get introduced to the idea that, despite Mark supposedly still caring about Ilona, he's no longer attracted to her and actually has a bit of a wandering eye, particularly for the female gymgoers in tight leggings. So, sorry, Mark, you ain't innocent and you ain't off the hook. We'll get to more reasons for that later.

Anyway, it is soon revealed that the reason that Ilona decided to stay on the stationary bike instead of "lifting" weights with Mark is because Ilona is fixated on watching television, and it just so happens that the cardio equipment is directed right at a flat-screen.

It soon occurs to Mark that his wife actually has an addiction to watching TV, which sends the couple and the plot down a rabbit hole of escalating drama.

Hilarity ensues!

We learn that Ilona's six month break from work turned into two years after she diagnosed herself with depression and supposedly dedicated that time to write a "screen play."

Adamus always brings this really unique brand of absurdist humor that's hard to describe. She always crafts situations that are full of ridiculousness, absurdity, and irony. It's so entertaining.

The subtitle of this book "Love triangle: her, him, and 42 inches of distraction" is full of innuendo. In fact, the 42-inches thing made us laugh so much. If you don't know, it's a reference to the size of the Ilona's all-important TV at home, but it's often referenced as if it's the size of Mark's... you know what.

Our favorite passage in the whole book was:

“Does your wife suffer from any mental health issues?”
“No, she doesn’t have any disorders. Just an obsession with 42 inches.”
“Excuse me?” The officer was clearly confused, seemingly trying to picture a 42-inch length.

Oh, there's another passage from the book that made us laugh out load. It involves Ilona's mom taking destiny in her own hands and taking the TV. Despite being scoffed at and rebuffed by the police, Ilona tries to act like the police are ready to receive the warrant for the mom's arrest, and she says: Do you need a photo? The police ones are usually pretty lousy... I’ll give them the one where you weighed 30 kilos more!”

Gosh, that's so freakin' funny.

Oh, there's another hilarious scene in which Ilona watches a famous screenwriter/author talk, and we're told:

“Ilona thought the woman was terrible. But she had published several bestsellers, so Ilona wanted to watch the interview—and hate on her silently. Oh yes, she was envious. If not for her depression … she would have published a bestseller too. Or written a blockbuster movie script."

This is oddly so relatable. We also agree that some famous writers actually suck... badly.

But let's talk about our contrarian thesis that Mark is actually to blame for a lot of Ilona's issues and a lot of the problems in the book. Yes, Ilona has personal responsibility, and the TV is partly to blame, but Mark is a huge contributor.

Let's list some of the things he does:

- He constantly shames Ilona.

- He won't do his husbandly duty and have sex with her (even when dropped hints), and he does this for two years.

- He caused Ilona to quit smoking not because doing so was good for her health but because he hated it and it drove him crazy. This led to her substituting her cigarettes with more food and TV.

- He told his coworkers that she hit him as some sort of joke.

- To punish and guilt her into changing her ways (quitting watching TV, overeating; getting a job), he left the house a mess, leading her to believe that something may have happened to him. He then leads her to believe that he's having a retaliatory affair with the front desk lady at a hotel.

What a jerk! Seriously!

But, any, this was still a really entertaining read.

Check it out on Amazon!