An in-depth, intelligent and insightful study of Helen DeWitt’s novel The Last Samurai, a novel I didn’t much relate to when I read it a little while back, not least because I was constantly aware that I wasn’t really “getting” it, so this critical analysis was more than welcome. It made much that had been unclear clear, and explained many of the subtleties and underlying themes that had passed me by. Although an academic and scholarly text, the writing is accessible and straightforward, and I learnt a lot. Whether it will give me the strength to try Helen DeWitt’s novel again, well, time will tell. But if I do I will be keeping Konstaninou’s masterful examination of it firmly by my side.