Author Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall’s story in The Last Thing He Told Me book sequel, The First Time I Saw Him.
Released on Tuesday, January 6, the second book offered some insight into what fans of the Apple TV show will see when Jennifer Garner returns as Hannah for season 2 next month.
Dave explained to Us Weekly exclusively that she had “written a draft of the book” which was what allowed the season 2 showrunners to plan where the show would go next.
“I walked them through the book. They had the world and the themes and everything, but I only had 100 pages I was willing to share at that point,” Dave recalled. “While I was doing some of that editing, they were off creating the second world for the show. I think they speak to each other really beautifully.”
The First Time I Saw Him book picks up five years after The Last Thing He Told Me ended. When Hannah sees Owen in public after he’s stayed hidden for so long, she knows something is about to go horribly wrong. Hannah and her stepdaughter, Bailey, are now faced with a new threat.
Dave refrained from giving “too many spoilers” but couldn’t help but praise the show’s upcoming second season, calling Garner the “heart and soul” of her adaptation.
“Everyone says to me, ‘What’s it like having your book adapted?’” Dave gushed. “I say, ‘If you’re lucky enough to have Jennifer Garner play your protagonist, you just say, thank goodness in the end.’”
Keep scrolling for more answers to burning questions about The First Time Saw Him:
Us: You initially wanted this to be a standalone novel. Why did you decide on writing a sequel?
Laura Dave: Two things happened when this book came out. So many readers reached out to me with beautiful notes, and obviously, that means the world to me. The question they asked me the most was, “What happens next?” I was shocked to know that I had an answer.
Author Laura Dave Teases ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ Season 2 and Sequel
Us: How intentional were you when it came to recapping The Last Thing He Told Me for The First Time I Saw Him?
LD: I love sequels that answer questions readers didn’t know they were asking. Because of that, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time recapping, which is why I made the prologue for this book, the epilogue of the first book. You can get right back in. I put nuggets in the first 30 or 40 pages for anyone who has not read the first book. … That was so important to me. That this book both was a sister to the first book and also stood on its own.”
Us: Why did you include multiple POVs in The First Time I Saw Him?
LD: It’s really a story about redemption, reunification, and to really make that story come to fruition, that love story — which was so important to me — I wanted to be very clear about everyone’s intention.
Us: Nicholas was a villain in The Last Thing He Told Me. Was it difficult to give him a redemption arc in The First Time I Saw Him?
LD: Nicholas’ story took place over 43 years. I felt an obligation to really get those chapters to be both about him and to suggest the importance of the overall story. … I’m really interested in the idea that no one becomes bad overnight. At least, that’s how I like to think about it. … I knew in order for Nicholas to find his redemption, I would have to go back to his origin of what was the first step he took, the first mistake he made that led him astray. How do I return him to who he most authentically is and wants to be?
Us: Does your role as a mother influence how you write Hannah and Bailey’s relationship?
LD: Absolutely. I always say that I couldn’t have found my way to the story here — to The Last Thing He Told Me — and I didn’t find my way to the ending and to what happens here until I became a mom. It’s really a love letter to that primal relationship. So [my son] has a huge influence.
Us: Do you have a future in mind for Hannah and Owen after that ending?
LD: I just started thinking about that. I have somewhat of an answer in my head, but not a good enough answer yet. I promise I will come back and tell you when it’s fully formed.
