The Book of You
Claire Kendal, 2014
HarperCollins
368 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062297600
Summary
"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. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Claire Kendal was born in America and educated in England, where she has spent all of her adult life. The Book of You is her first novel. It will be translated into over a dozen languages. Claire teaches English Literature and Creative Writing, and lives in the South West of England with her family. She is working on her next psychological thriller. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
This dark, disturbing debut…announces the arrival of a fierce new talent.
Daily Mail (UK)
A gripping tale, well-written and cleverly plotted...[that] demonstrates vividly how destructive [stalking] can be.
Literary Review (UK)
[I]ntimate, chilling first novel, an update of Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa.... With flawless timing, the author traces how Rafe isolates Clarissa, threatens her, and pries into the most private details of her life... Kendal spins a tale that’s troubling, raw, and gripping.
Publishers Weekly
Kendal expertly heightens the suspense while offering a disturbing portrait of a clever stalker who believes himself to be in love.
Booklist
The victim of a relentless stalker looks for a way out in Kendal's debut novel. Police shrugged their shoulders.... Kendal uses her writing skills to fine advantage.... Unfortunately, it's hard to believe Clarissa would endure so much abuse from Rafe.... Nicely written novel with a plot that will strain reader credulity.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Consider Charles Perrault's folktale "Blue Beard," referenced before the novel begins. What tone does it set? What issues or questions does it introduce?
2. What is gained by the novel being written in large part as dated journal entries? What changes when the narrative shifts to a more objective point of view?
3. What are the effects of the journal being a second-person, direct address to Rafe? Do these change as the story progresses?
4. Rafe makes the sinister statement to Clarissa that "men need secret places." What might be healthier, more understandable reasons to have a secret place to visit or keep things?
5. One of the various taxi drivers, a woman, helps defend Clarissa. Where else in the novel are there examples of strong or courageous women?
6. What does the brutal parallel experience of Carlotta Lockyer and the trial add to the novel? What specifically does Clarissa seem to learn from it?
7. Is the adversarial legal system justified in treating a victim like Carlotta as it does?
8. In what ways might Rowena's ideas about her own body and the need to "limit [her] expressions" be relevant to the danger Clarissa is in?
9. In the restaurant with Rowena and Rafe Clarissa comments on the Deco paintings of nude women. Is such a public display, however artistic, an element of the threat Clarissa and other women face?
10. What do various mentions of poetry—Keats, Yeats, etc.—add to the novel? In particular, what does Clarissa's reading of Anne Sexton's Transformations add to our understanding?
11. What kind of man is Henry, Clarissa's ex-boyfriend? What do we learn about Clarissa through her many memories of him?
12. What's appealing to Clarissa about Robert, the fireman?
13. On more than one occasion Clarissa asks Robert to tell her about fire. What might she be interested in or fascinated by? Where else does fire or objects relevant to it appear in the novel?
14. Sewing is very important to Clarissa. Why? In what ways is it valuable to her? Are there ways the skill serves the novel metaphorically?
15. Of what significance is Clarissa's memory of being punched and robbed of her bag when she was just a teenager?
16. At one point Robert tells Clarissa, "anyone could do violence." Is this idea helpful or disturbing?
17. Is DC Hughes a good man? Is Robert? Are there men in the novel that deserve the title? What characteristics or actions make them so?
18. What do you make of Clarissa's decision regarding Robert at the end?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)