Reviews
Obsession masquerades as love in British author Kendal's intimate, chilling first novel….With flawless timing…Kendal spins a tale that's troubling, raw, and gripping., The Book of You starts with breathtaking brilliance and then just gets better with every page.... [It] is already my book of the year., 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., 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., 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., Claire Kendal makes a smashing debut with the...The Book of You....most readers [will] finish the brilliantly constructed novel in one or two sittings., The Book of You is a frighteningly intimate--and accurate--portrayal of stalking. Through Clarissa's eyes, we see the ragged nerves, sleepless nights and paranoia brought about by Rafe's 'romantic' obsession. First-time author Claire Kendal draws readers into a taut, compulsively readable tale of pursuit and escape., An engrossing literary thriller…. The author (who lectures in English literature and creative writing) uses the more violent and sadistic aspects of fairy tales…to explore modern relationships…. As grimly seductive as any of its inspirational sources., The Book of You is a frighteningly intimate—and accurate—portrayal of stalking. Through Clarissa's eyes, we see the ragged nerves, sleepless nights and paranoia brought about by Rafe's 'romantic' obsession. First-time author Claire Kendal draws readers into a taut, compulsively readable tale of pursuit and escape., 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., Kendal expertly heightens the suspense while offering a disturbing portrait of a clever stalker who believes himself to be in love., A gripping tale, well-written and cleverly plotted...[that] demonstrates vividly how destructive [stalking] can be., Kendal uses her writing skills to fine advantage, both in creating Clarissa's evidentiary journal, which she hopes will help nail Rafe, and in chronicling Rafe's growing menace....Nicely written., Minutes after you dip into Kendall'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., An engrossing literary thriller.... The author (who lectures in English literature and creative writing) uses the more violent and sadistic aspects of fairy tales...to explore modern relationships.... As grimly seductive as any of its inspirational sources., Kendal uses her writing skills to fine advantage, both in creating Clarissa's evidentiary journal, which she hopes will help nail Rafe, and in chronicling Rafe's growing menace….Nicely written., Obsession masquerades as love in British author Kendal's intimate, chilling first novel....With flawless timing...Kendal spins a tale that's troubling, raw, and gripping., "Truly riveting....Clarissa's silence is both understandable and possibly her undoing." -- New York Times Book Review "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, Editor's Pick "An engrossing literary thriller.... The author (who lectures in English literature and creative writing) uses the more violent and sadistic aspects of fairy tales...to explore modern relationships.... As grimly seductive as any of its inspirational sources." -- Los Angeles Times "Obsession masquerades as love in British author Kendal's intimate, chilling first novel....With flawless timing...Kendal spins a tale that's troubling, raw, and gripping." -- Publishers Weekly (starred 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 (starred review) "Kendal uses her writing skills to fine advantage, both in creating Clarissa's evidentiary journal, which she hopes will help nail Rafe, and in chronicling Rafe's growing menace....Nicely written." -- Kirkus Reviews "Kendal expertly heightens the suspense while offering a disturbing portrait of a clever stalker who believes himself to be in love." -- Booklist "The Book of You is a frighteningly intimate--and accurate--portrayal of stalking. Through Clarissa's eyes, we see the ragged nerves, sleepless nights and paranoia brought about by Rafe's 'romantic' obsession. First-time author Claire Kendal draws readers into a taut, compulsively readable tale of pursuit and escape." -- BookPage "Your stomach will be in knots before the end of the first chapter of Kendal's debut novel." -- San Antonio Express-News "Claire Kendal makes a smashing debut with the...The Book of You....most readers [will] finish the brilliantly constructed novel in one or two sittings." -- Connecticut Post, #FridayReads "This dark, disturbing debut...announces the arrival of a fierce new talent." -- Daily Mail (London) "A gripping tale, well-written and cleverly plotted...[that] demonstrates vividly how destructive [stalking] can be." -- Literary Review "The Book of You starts with breathtaking brilliance and then just gets better with every page.... [It] is already my book of the year." -- Elizabeth Haynes, New York Times bestselling author of Into the Darkest Corner "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 "I literally hardly breathed as I raced to the end. It's a terrifying thriller...so addictive." -- Samantha Hayes, author of Until You're Mine, The Book of You is a frighteningly intimate-and accurate-portrayal of stalking. Through Clarissa's eyes, we see the ragged nerves, sleepless nights and paranoia brought about by Rafe's 'romantic' obsession. First-time author Claire Kendal draws readers into a taut, compulsively readable tale of pursuit and escape., Claire Kendal makes a smashing debut with the…The Book of You.…most readers [will] finish the brilliantly constructed novel in one or two sittings., 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.
