by Caroline Kepnes
Hardcover, 422 pages
Atria, September 30, 2014
When Guinevere Beck walks through the doors of Joe's bookstore, he knows instantly that there's something special about her. She's beautiful, clever, and an aspiring writer. After looking her up online he easily finds her Facebook and Twitter accounts and has no problem finding out all about her - what she's doing, where she's meeting her friends, who she's dating, and where she lives. After orchestrating an encounter at a bar he tracks her down at, he's sure she's the one for him. Now he just has to convince her of that.
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"...the bullshit thing is, if someone saw the three of us, well, most people would think I'm the weird one just because I followed you here. And that's the problem with this world..."
Holy crap. This was a twisted novel about stalking, obsession, and psychopathy. It touched in on the use of social media in interesting ways - whether we overshare, how safe it is, and whether we're fully experiencing life if we're so concerned with constantly sharing updates. The second-person narration was a unique and especially effective method of showing the world from Joe's perspective. It upped the creepiness factor substantially, since Joe was speaking right to you...as Beck. This point of view also allowed for an interesting examination of the games people play when in relationships, even when they're not crazy stalkers trying to manipulate their prey...I mean, significant others. <ahem> Along those same lines, Beck's online presence highlighted how easy stalking is in the current digital age, where a quick Google search can bring up any number of personal social media accounts, addresses, telephone numbers, education and employment history, all from the comfort of your own home.
For a completely nut job, Joe, our narrator, is surprisingly charming and witty. His observations on daily life sometimes had me nodding along, which led to uncomfortable discussions with myself about how I could possibly be agreeing with someone so unstable. I'd go chapters before I'd be jarred back to the reality of what a creepy psycho he was...usually around the time he was stealing Beck's cell phone or panties or something.
This book works great as a stand-alone novel, but I'm glad it's the first in a trilogy because I look forward to seeing what Joe's future holds. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's creepy and likely illegal.
Backlist Bump: The Talented Mr. Ripley (another psychopathic protagonist you'll find yourself rooting for against your better judgment).
What to Drink: Reading this book and it's discussions about club soda put me in the mood for a vodka and soda - a simple but refreshing drink. This book, however, needed something a bit more pretentious than that, which is why I ended up with a St. Germain Cocktail. Still refreshing but highbrow enough to have maybe made an appearance at one of Peach's parties.
The St-Germain Cocktail
2 parts Champagne
1.5 parts St-Germain
2 parts club soda
Fill a tall Collins glass with ice and add ingredients in order. Stir completely and garnish with a twist of lemon. Enjoy...with the lights on.
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