Synopses & Reviews
For Clarissa, their night together marked the end of something, but for Rafe, it was just the beginning . . . For Clarissa, being called to do jury duty is a relief. It means she can leave work for a couple of weeks and avoid the unwanted attentions of her university colleague, Rafe. An intense man who is an expert on grisly folk tales, Rafe has always unnerved her, and Clarissa still cannot understand how she could have let herself have a drunken one-night stand with him.
As the trial unfolds, Clarissa begins to see the parallels between the violent tale related by the young woman whose attackers she is judging and her own situation. But with no crime to report and only her gut feeling to guide her, she is powerless. What can you do when the lines between fantasy and reality, love and fixation become dangerously blurred? How do you protect yourself from an enemy that no one else can see?
With an original structure and a heroine whose voice is equal parts unsettling and unforgettable, The Book of You is tinged with the darkness of a macabre fairy tale, yet is terrifyingly close to reality, a story that will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.
Review
“Truly riveting….Clarissas silence is both understandable and possibly her undoing.” < em=""> New York Times Book Review < m="">
Review
“Minutes after you dip into Kendals novel youll know what its like to be a woman whos being stalkedand by the end, your heart will thump and your shirt will get clammy with nervous sweat.” < em=""> Entertainment Weekly < m=""> , Editor & #8217;s Pick
Review
“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.” < em=""> Los Angeles Times < m="">
Review
“Obsession masquerades as love in British author Kendals intimate, chilling first novel….With flawless timing…Kendal spins a tale thats troubling, raw, and gripping.” < em=""> Publishers Weekly < m=""> (starred review)
Review
“Kendals 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.” < em=""> Library Journal < m=""> (starred review)
Review
“Kendal uses her writing skills to fine advantage, both in creating Clarissas evidentiary journal, which she hopes will help nail Rafe, and in chronicling Rafes growing menace….Nicely written.” < em=""> Kirkus Reviews < m="">
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“Kendal expertly heightens the suspense while offering a disturbing portrait of a clever stalker who believes himself to be in love.” < em=""> Booklist < m="">
Review
“The Book of You is a frighteningly intimateand accurateportrayal of stalking. Through Clarissas eyes, we see the ragged nerves, sleepless nights and paranoia brought about by Rafes ‘romantic obsession. First-time author Claire Kendal draws readers into a taut, compulsively readable tale of pursuit and escape.” < em=""> BookPage < m="">
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“Your stomach will be in knots before the end of the first chapter of Kendals debut novel.” < em=""> San Antonio Express-News < m="">
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“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.” < em=""> Connecticut Post < m=""> , #FridayReads
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“This dark, disturbing debut…announces the arrival of a fierce new talent.” < em=""> Daily Mail < m=""> (London)
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“A gripping tale, well-written and cleverly plotted...[that] demonstrates vividly how destructive [stalking] can be.” < em=""> Literary Review < m="">
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, < em=""> New York Times < m=""> bestselling author of < em=""> Into the Darkest Corner < m="">
Review
“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, < em=""> New York Times < m=""> bestselling author of < em=""> If You Were Here < m="">
Review
“I literally hardly breathed as I raced to the end. Its a terrifying thriller…so addictive.” Samantha Hayes, author of < em=""> Until You & #8217;re Mine < m="">
Synopsis
A mesmerizing tale of psychological suspense about a woman who must fight to escape an expert manipulator determined to possess her, Claire Kendals debut novel is a sophisticated and disturbing portrait of compulsion, control, and terror that will appeal to fans of
Before I Go to Sleep, The Silent Wife, and
Into the Darkest Corner.His name is Rafe, and he is everywhere Clarissa turns. At the university where she works. Her favorite sewing shop. The train station. Outside her apartment. His messages choke her voice mail; his gifts litter her mailbox. Since that one regrettable night, his obsession with her has grown, becoming more terrifying with each passing day. And as Rafe has made clear, he will never let her go.
Clarissas only escape from this harrowing nightmare is inside a courtroom—where she is a juror on a trial involving a victim whose experiences eerily parallel her own. There she finds some peace and even makes new friends, including an attractive widower named Robert, whose caring attentions make her feel desired and safe. But as a disturbingly violent crime unfolds in the courtroom, Clarissa realizes that to survive she must expose Rafe herself. Conceiving a plan, she begins collecting the evidence of Rafes madness to use against him—a record of terror that will force her to relive every excruciating moment she desperately wants to forget. Proof that will reveal the twisted, macabre fairy tale that Rafe has spun around them . . . with an ending more horrifying than her darkest fears.
Masterfully constructed, filled with exquisite tension and a pervasive sense of menace, The Book of You explores the lines between love and compulsion, fantasy and reality, and offers a heart-stopping portrait of a woman determined to survive. Claire Kendals extraordinary debut will haunt readers long after it reaches its terrifying, breathtaking conclusion.
Synopsis
His name is Rafe, and he is everywhere Clarissa turns. At work. At her apartment. At the park. His messages choke her voicemail; his unwanted gifts keep appearing at her door. And as he has made clear, he will never let her go.
Clarissa's only sanctuary is the courtroom where she serves jury duty. The trial's rhythm allows her space to make new friends, including Robert, an attractive widower. But Rafe's relentless fixation, now fueled by jealousy, escalates in tandem with the chilling tale of predator and prey unfolding before Clarissa in court. Her only chance of escape lies in exposing Rafe's sinister intentions. Strand by strand she unravels the macabre fairy tale Rafe has spun around them and discovers that the happy ending he envisions is more horrifying than her darkest fears.
Masterfully constructed, with riveting tension and a haunting sense of menace, Claire Kendal's extraordinary debut explores the lines between obsession and love, offering a heart-stopping portrait of a woman determined to survive.
About the Author
Claire Kendal was born in America and educated in England, where she has spent all her adult life. The Book of You is her first novel. It will be translated into more than twenty languages. Claire teaches English literature and creative writing, and lives in England's South West region with her family. She is working on her next psychological thriller.