This novel "Last Night in Montreal," written by Emily St. John Mandel, focuses on the mysterious past of a woman named Lilia, who was abducted by her father at the age of 7. Lilia has no recollection of life before the abduction, yet the mysterious scars on her arms suggest abuse. Throughout the story, the perspective is shifted between the stories of various characters who are affected by the mystery of Lilia’s story.

At the opening of the novel, Lilia was living with her boyfriend, Eli, in Brooklyn, New York. Although Lilia was happy with her life in New York, she felt the need to leave as leaving was all she had ever done. Within the first chapter of the novel, Lilia disappeared unexpectedly, leaving Eli distraught but determined to find her.

A few days later, Eli began receiving mysterious notes from a woman named Michaela in Montreal. One note contained a message written in Lilia’s childhood handwriting on a Bible page with directions to meet in Montreal. Despite the advice of his friends in New York, Eli decided to go to Montreal to search for his lost lover.

Michaela, it turned out, was the daughter of the private investigator Lilia’s mother had hired to search for her lost daughter. The private investigator, Christopher, had become so consumed in Lilia’s case that he had neglected his marriage and his daughter, leaving Michaela to live on her own at fifteen.

When Eli arrived in Montreal, he found that Michaela was a go-go dancer at a local club. She was heavily addicted to multiple drugs and appeared decadent, yet beautiful. She and Eli began meeting nightly to discuss Lilia. Eli wanted to know where she was and Michaela wanted to know the details of a crash she had been in involving her father. Neither one wanted to tell their secrets.

In the end, all secrets were revealed. Eli informed Michaela that Lilia’s father had purposely driven Christopher off the road, causing him severe injuries. Michaela told Eli Lilia’s location. However, just as he was on his way to meet her, Michaela was meeting her at the train station. There, she revealed that her mother had thrown her through a window, prompting her brother Simon to arrange the abduction. With that, Michaela took her own life, despite Eli’s attempt to save her.