THE BOOK OF YOU - Softcover

Kendal, Claire

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007531672 ISBN 13: 9780007531677

Publisher: HarperFiction, 2015

Synopsis

Sunday Times top ten bestseller and Richard & Judy pick, The Book of You is a terrifying psychological thriller about obsession and power, perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

Clarissa is becoming more and more frightened of her colleague, Rafe. He won t leave her alone, and he refuses to take no for an answer. He is always there.

Being selected for jury service is a relief. The courtroom is a safe haven, a place where Rafe can t be. But as a violent tale of kidnap and abuse unfolds, Clarissa begins to see parallels between her own situation and that of the young woman on the witness stand.

Realizing that she bears the burden of proof, Clarissa unravels the twisted, macabre fairytale that Rafe has spun around them and discovers that the ending he envisions is more terrifying than she could have imagined.

About this title

Review:

‘Any thriller that has you checking over your shoulder and peeking from behind your curtains must be gripping so hats off to Claire Kendal’s hard-hitting debut THE BOOK OF YOU for doing just this’ Stylist

‘Both brutal and unbearably tense, THE BOOK OF YOU announces the arrival of a fierce new talent, a writer not afraid to grasp a woman’s fears in stark detail and to invoke nightmares’ Daily Mail

‘Clever, claustrophobic and chillingly good’ Good Housekeeping

‘THE BOOK OF YOU starts with breathtaking brilliance and then just gets better with every page. Already my book of the year’ Elizabeth Haynes (author of INTO THE DARKEST CORNER)

‘Gripping with some very smart twists’ Woman Magazine

‘A gripping read!’ Closer

‘Addictive ... I literally hardly breathed as I raced to the end. It's a terrifying thriller’ Samantha Hayes (author of UNTIL YOU’RE MINE)

‘Creepy and compelling . what happens when the wrong guy won't take no for an answer?’ Paula Daly (author of JUST WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU?)

‘Chilling, raw, and utterly addictive, THE BOOK OF YOU is the kind of psychological thriller that you will want to read in one gulp, only to find yourself terrified once the lights are off’ Alafair Burke (New York Times bestselling author of IF YOU WERE HERE)

‘Truly riveting’ New York Times Book Review

A gripping tale, well-written and cleverly plotted ... Literary Review

‘Kendal's debut novel is a palpitating tale of obsession and dangerously unrequited love. Fans of Gone Girl and The Silent Wife will enjoy the delectable tension right up until the heart-stopping conclusion.’ Library Journal

‘Minutes after you dip into Kendal's novel you'll know what it's like to be a woman who's being stalked – and by the end, your heart will thump and your shirt will get clammy with nervous sweat.’ Entertainment Weekly

‘Obsession masquerades as love in British author Kendal’s intimate, chilling first novel...Troubling, raw, and gripping.’ Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover:

"No other man can do to you what I can. No other man will love you like I do. . . . "

His name is Rafe, and he is everywhere Clarissa turns.

At the university where she works. At her favorite sewing shop. At the train station. Outside her apartment. His messages choke her voice mail; his unwanted gifts keep arriving at her door. Since that one regrettable night, his obsession with her has grown, becoming more consuming with each passing day. And as he has made clear, he will never let her go.

With Rafe in pursuit, Clarissa's only sanctuary is the courtroom in which she is serving jury duty. The rhythm of the trial allows her a sense of normalcy and the space to make new friends, including Robert, an attractive widower. But Clarissa's deepening relationship with Robert--a source of hope she so desperately needs in her life--will not remain unnoticed for long. As a chilling tale of predator and prey unfolds in front of Clarissa on the stand, Rafe's relentless fixation, fueled by jealousy, escalates. Her only chance of escape lies in exposing his intentions for what they really are, even if it means immortalizing every moment she so desperately wants to forget.

Conceiving a plan, Clarissa begins collecting the evidence of Rafe's madness to use against him. Strand by strand, she pulls apart the twisted, macabre fairy tale he has spun around them and discovers that the happy ending he envisions is more horrifying than her darkest fears. Masterly constructed, filled with exquisite tension and a pervasive sense of menace, The Book of You is a darkly sophisticated, utterly compelling debut that explores what happens when the lines between love and compulsion, fantasy and reality, become dangerously blurred.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperFiction
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0007531672
• ISBN 13: 9780007531677
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384