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A review by asourceoffiction
You by Caroline Kepnes
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think I may have enjoyed this more because I watched the whole series first... Penn Badgley IS Joe Goldberg in my mind, and he's creepy and mysterious and terrifying and compelling all at once. I don't know if you're supposed to root for Joe and I don't in the traditional sense, but there is a twisted fun in following his story. In fact, no comedy comes blacker than this, but it is genuinely funny on occasion. I felt slightly uncomfortable every time I laughed, and I hope that's intentional!
I'm fascinated by the fact that we have no idea what Beck is really like. Every opinion she has is one that Joe has formed based on his interpretation of her behaviour, and the writing is so clever to only give us one side of the narrative. My suspicion is that Beck's nothing like he wants her to be and it's actually irrelevant, because it's stalk-at-first-sight for our Joe. Plus, frankly, she seems pretty awful to me.
I also love (is that the right word?) Joe's insidious altruism - he's utterly deranged but clearly has a genuine belief that everything he does is to benefit Beck because their relationship is so good for her. It's an astonishing level of narcissism that gets increasingly deranged and uncomfortable. There's no pretence either, Joe literally describes himself as the Kevin Costner to Beck's Whitney Houston.
Ultimately, the story and characters are engrossing but it's the writing I couldn't tear myself from. It's such a clever technique to have the entire novel formed by Joe's conversations with Beck in his head. The ambiguity and Joe's (often alarmingly accurate) opinions on the world kept me eagerly turning the pages right to the end. And just because I know what comes next, doesn't mean I'm any less intrigued to pick up the next book.
I'm fascinated by the fact that we have no idea what Beck is really like. Every opinion she has is one that Joe has formed based on his interpretation of her behaviour, and the writing is so clever to only give us one side of the narrative. My suspicion is that Beck's nothing like he wants her to be and it's actually irrelevant, because it's stalk-at-first-sight for our Joe. Plus, frankly, she seems pretty awful to me.
I also love (is that the right word?) Joe's insidious altruism - he's utterly deranged but clearly has a genuine belief that everything he does is to benefit Beck because their relationship is so good for her. It's an astonishing level of narcissism that gets increasingly deranged and uncomfortable. There's no pretence either, Joe literally describes himself as the Kevin Costner to Beck's Whitney Houston.
Ultimately, the story and characters are engrossing but it's the writing I couldn't tear myself from. It's such a clever technique to have the entire novel formed by Joe's conversations with Beck in his head. The ambiguity and Joe's (often alarmingly accurate) opinions on the world kept me eagerly turning the pages right to the end. And just because I know what comes next, doesn't mean I'm any less intrigued to pick up the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Stalking, and Murder