MacKenzie Scott's Novel 'Last Days' Draws Baffled Criticism

MacKenzie Scott released her first novel in 13 years, titled 'Last Days in Two Nations (A History in Eighteen Minds)', chapter by chapter on the Substack platform starting August 8. This unconventional release strategy allowed her to bypass traditional publishing houses and major booksellers, including Amazon, where she retains a roughly 4% stake from her 2019 divorce. The approximately 80,000-word, 317-page novel was made available for free to subscribers, with the final installment published on August 31. The book is set in a near-future America divided into two factions: the "Still United" states and an authoritarian breakaway regime known as the Dakota Membership, led by a president named Damian Paxton. Scott narrates the story through the perspectives of 18 distinct characters, a narrative approach described by writer and editor Eve Sneider as a "departure" from Scott's earlier, more conventional fiction. Scott's previous novels include 'The Testing of Luther Albright' (2005) and 'Traps' (2013). Critics have expressed confusion and bewilderment regarding the novel's message and structure. Eve Sneider, in a review for Business Insider, characterized the book's conclusion as "a baffling conclusion fit for a baffling project," suggesting readers are left with more questions than answers about Scott's intended communication. The New York Post described the work as "hard to untangle." Scott, known for her significant philanthropic efforts, having given away over $26 billion with minimal public commentary, appears to have intentionally pursued complexity in her literary endeavors. In a 2013 interview with Charlie Rose, Scott stated her interest in "complex problems more than simple ones" and her preference for "long projects" involving the "endless analysis of conversations and thinking about words and tinkering with words." This inclination towards intricate themes and narrative structures is evident in 'Last Days in Two Nations,' yet it has also become the focal point of critical debate, with Sneider noting that "deliberate ambiguity still has to earn its keep." The novel's setting and thematic elements, exploring societal division and authoritarianism, have been noted, but the execution of its multi-perspective narrative and its ultimate meaning remain subjects of intense discussion and interpretation among early readers and reviewers.