The Book of You: A Novel

A mesmerizing tale of psychological suspense about a woman who must fight to escape an expert manipulator determined to possess her, Claire Kendal’s 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.

Clarissa’s 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 Rafe’s 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 Kendal’s extraordinary debut will haunt readers long after it reaches its terrifying, breathtaking conclusion.

"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.

“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

“A gripping tale, well-written and cleverly plotted...[that] demonstrates vividly how destructive [stalking] can be.” - Literary Review

“This dark, disturbing debut by an American-born but British-based creative writing teacher makes uncomfortable reading — especially if you are a man. It tells the story of Clarissa from Bath who is being stalked by work colleague Rafe, and nothing she does will make him stop his unwanted attention. He looms out of the blue wherever she goes and keeps telling her how much she misses him. Then she is selected for jury service in Bristol, and clings to the hope that in court, at least, she will be safe. She isn’t. And as the case before her unfolds — involving both the abduction and abuse of a woman — so the parallels with her own life become all too clear, along with a growing certainty about Rafe’s true intentions. Both brutal and unbearably tense, it announces the arrival of a fierce new talent, a writer not afraid to grasp a woman’s fears in stark detail and to invoke nightmares.” - Daily Mail (London)

“This dark, disturbing debut…announces the arrival of a fierce new talent.” - Daily Mail (London)

“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)

“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

“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

“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

“Kendal’s debut is an engrossing literary thriller as the author (who lectures in English literature and creative writing) uses the more violent and sadistic aspects of fairy tales like the Grimm Brothers’ The Robber Bridegroom to explore modern relationships and even recycles characters and themes from Samuel Richardson’s 18th century epistolary novel, Clarissa, the story of an innocent woman seduced by a villainous libertine . . . The Book of You is as grimly seductive as any of its inspirational sources, drawing the reader into Clarissa’s nightmare quest to rid herself of a not-so-Prince Charming while questioning society’s persistent belief in happily-ever-after when there’s so much evidence to the contrary.” - Los Angeles Times

“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

“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

“Kendal expertly heightens the suspense while offering a disturbing portrait of a clever stalker who believes himself to be in love.” - Booklist

“Kendal’s first novel pays homage to Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa while also cribbing straight from the worst nightmare of every woman who’s found herself fending off advances from that too ardent suitor who doesn’t get the hint. It opens with Clarissa, a British university secretary still recovering from a painful breakup, already on to Rafe, the co-worker who has become obsessed with her after a drunken coupling. Terrified of not being taken seriously by the police, or of being blamed for her torment, she’s begun keeping meticulous records of Rafe’s every move. Will she gather enough evidence? Or will she wait too long to take it all — the notes, the black roses, the unwanted jewelry, the lurid photos — to authorities? Clarissa’s is a dark tale, made no lighter by the fact that she’s also serving jury duty on a gruesome sexual assault case. Her story’s few rays of hope come in the form of a handsome fellow juror. In parts, the details are stomach-churningly baroque, maybe even unnecessarily so; but what’s truly riveting is watching the ways Clarissa’s silence is both understandable and possibly her undoing.” - New York Times Book Review

“Truly riveting….Clarissa’s silence is both understandable and possibly her undoing.” - New York Times Book 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)