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jeaniinabottle 's review for:
You
by Caroline Kepnes
You is a creepy, atmospheric look into a deranged stalker's brain.
It's great October reading, if you like a good sense of dread leading up to Halloween. I listened to it on audiobook, which added an extra layer of creep thanks to the second-person conceit.
Gwendolyn Beck (Beck for short) is our titular "You." Beck is blonde and beautiful, a grad student working on a degree in creative writing. She has serious daddy issues, a desperate need for attention, and EVERYONE wants to fuck her.
Meanwhile, Joe is our narrator. Joe works in a bookstore because he never went to college, but that's okay because he's insanely well-read. He is a hipster who collects antique typewriters and judges other people for liking his favorite author "for the wrong reasons." Did I mention he's also an insane stalker?
Like everyone else, the second Joe meets Beck, he must have her.
Now, for Joe, that means Facebook stalking her until he finds her house, then watching her in person until he gets the chance to steal her phone, then reading all of her emails and determining what she should and shouldn't be doing and who she should and should not allow in her life. All while trying to subtly machinate himself into the position of the future Mr. Beck.
Oh, and he constantly steals shit from her house to keep as tokens of love, including bras, her old yearbook, and even
Pretty much from the jump, you know that things are going to end in one of three ways:
1. Beck finds out about Joe's "worship" of her, is flattered, and they live happily ever after but really guys, that is so not healthy.
2. Beck finds out about Joe's stalking her, is horrified, manages to get away from him and he's locked up.
3. Beck finds out about Joe's stalking her, is horrified, and Joe kills her because she doesn't love him properly.
I won't tell you which way it goes, but it is telling that only one of the options could be construed as a happy ending.
For me, the most horrifying part of the story was the fact that Joe just could not take responsibility for his actions. Everything he did was, in his mind, foisted upon him by someone else's actions.
And even when he could begin to acknowledge that something he did wasn't cool, he could always justify it because someone else ALSO did something bad so clearly they are BOTH responsible. Trying to understand the cognitive bias and leaps of logic could hurt your head if you tried to think about them too hard.
All in all, it's a great book. Definitely an interesting read and a good way to make yourself properly paranoid about what you share online. Just be careful about getting too sucked into Joe's crazy web of craziness - after all, he's the archetypal charming psychopath.
It's great October reading, if you like a good sense of dread leading up to Halloween. I listened to it on audiobook, which added an extra layer of creep thanks to the second-person conceit.
Gwendolyn Beck (Beck for short) is our titular "You." Beck is blonde and beautiful, a grad student working on a degree in creative writing. She has serious daddy issues, a desperate need for attention, and EVERYONE wants to fuck her.
Meanwhile, Joe is our narrator. Joe works in a bookstore because he never went to college, but that's okay because he's insanely well-read. He is a hipster who collects antique typewriters and judges other people for liking his favorite author "for the wrong reasons." Did I mention he's also an insane stalker?
Like everyone else, the second Joe meets Beck, he must have her.
Now, for Joe, that means Facebook stalking her until he finds her house, then watching her in person until he gets the chance to steal her phone, then reading all of her emails and determining what she should and shouldn't be doing and who she should and should not allow in her life. All while trying to subtly machinate himself into the position of the future Mr. Beck.
Oh, and he constantly steals shit from her house to keep as tokens of love, including bras, her old yearbook, and even
Spoiler
a used tampon.Pretty much from the jump, you know that things are going to end in one of three ways:
1. Beck finds out about Joe's "worship" of her, is flattered, and they live happily ever after but really guys, that is so not healthy.
2. Beck finds out about Joe's stalking her, is horrified, manages to get away from him and he's locked up.
3. Beck finds out about Joe's stalking her, is horrified, and Joe kills her because she doesn't love him properly.
I won't tell you which way it goes, but it is telling that only one of the options could be construed as a happy ending.
For me, the most horrifying part of the story was the fact that Joe just could not take responsibility for his actions. Everything he did was, in his mind, foisted upon him by someone else's actions.
Spoiler
Benji MADE him lock him up by being a phony. Beck MADE him follow her to the Dickens' festival by not calling him. Peach MADE him kill her by trying to get with Beck.And even when he could begin to acknowledge that something he did wasn't cool, he could always justify it because someone else ALSO did something bad so clearly they are BOTH responsible.
Spoiler
Beck apparently owes him an apology for finding his stalker!box because she invaded his privacy?All in all, it's a great book. Definitely an interesting read and a good way to make yourself properly paranoid about what you share online. Just be careful about getting too sucked into Joe's crazy web of craziness - after all, he's the archetypal charming psychopath.