From the highly acclaimed author of How Can I Help You comes a masterful domestic suspense novel that follows a 1960s housewife turned amateur photographer who begins to fear for her life when she notices the dark silhouette of a man in the background of her self-portraits.
The photos Judith Stanley takes are just for her, a private passion to fill her suburban days. But when she shares them with Paul Sorenson, her new photography instructor, she's unprepared to hear his astonished praise. 'Stunning,' he calls her photos. 'Extraordinary.' She has an uncanny eye, he says, and should consider publication. He could help. Except Judith has no interest in sharing her work; in fact, the mere idea of it frightens her.
Still, emboldened by Paul's encouragement, Judith ventures out beyond her quiet neighbourhood to the city in search of increasingly striking images. When she starts to notice the dark shape of a man in the corner of her self-portraits, Judith is certain he's an attacker from her past. She doesn't know why he has returned, but she's sure of his presence: the hoarse sound of his breathing, his hard grip on her elbow. Perhaps it would appease the man if she were to put her camera down and give up her private passion. But she can't; she refuses. Until one night when the man finally emerges from the shadows, and Judith's story suddenly and irrevocably becomes his own.
Chilling and heart-poundingly propulsive, The Man explores the inescapable fear of living as a woman, the tantalizing seduction of artistic freedom and the very real dangers that lurk both inside and outside the confines of the mind.
'I loved this book as I love all of Sims's novels. So eerie and sharp, so classic feeling yet contemporary. I think of Highsmith and Hitchcock when it comes to her gift for suspense and dark Americana, but she also has a poet's eye and ear for conjuring visceral dread, vulnerability and beauty in equal measure. A brilliant portrait of a deeply haunted, gifted woman - and a haunting shadow of a man' - Mona Awad, author of We Love You, Bunny
'Haunting, atmospheric and relentlessly unnerving, The Man kept me up late reading - and had me looking over my shoulder at dark corners. Beneath the muscular prose and quiet sense of dread is a thoughtful exploration of power imbalances, our relationship with art and the roles we allow women to play' - Andrea Bartz, author of We Were Never Here
'A chilling page-turner that explores art, ambition, gender dynamics and true fear. Creepy, disturbing and dripping with dread, I had to force myself to put it down' - Robyn Harding, author of Strangers in the Villa
'Fiercely intelligent... It's the sort of novel I immediately want to talk about with others - the perfect book club read. I wish I could read it again for the first time!' - Ana Reyes, author of The House in the Pines
'This book kept me awake at night, heart in throat, then stayed with me long afterward. I could not stop turning the pages. Sims has done it again' - Vanessa Chan, author of The Storm We Made
'A gorgeous, haunting exploration of creativity, confinement and desire. Sims captures the inner life of an artist with uncanny precision and lyricism... I could not put it down' - Danielle Trussoni, author of The Puzzle Box
'I was gripped by this twisty, creepy tale... Art and trauma, obsession and ambition all collide with terrifying consequences' - Susan Barker, author of Old Soul
'An absolute page-turner. I tore through this novel in two feverish sittings... Expertly paced, utterly gripping and deeply layered, The Man is the kind of novel that stays with you long after you finish it' - Kirsten King, author of A Good Person
This novel contains depictions of stalking and sexual violence.
Laura Sims's previous novels How Can I Help You and Looker have been featured on Best Books lists in the New York Times Book Review, Vogue, People, Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, Publishers Weekly and more. An award-winning poet, Sims has published four poetry collections; her essays and poems have appeared in the New Republic, Boston Review, LitHub and Electric Lit. She lives in New Jersey, where she works part-time as a children's librarian.
