By Paul Burston
Published Orenda Books (E-book - out now; Paperback - 11 July 2019)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher
Publisher's description
Tom is a successful author, but he’s struggling to finish his novel. His main distraction is an online admirer, Evie, who simply won’t leave him alone.
Evie is smart, well read and unstable; she lives with her father and her social-media friendships are not only her escape, but everything she has.
When she’s hit with a restraining order, her world is turned upside down, and Tom is free to live his life again, to concentrate on writing.
But things aren’t really adding up. For Tom is distracted but also addicted to his online relationships, and when they take a darker, more menacing turn, he feels powerless to change things. Because maybe he needs Evie more than he’s letting on.
The Closer I Get by Paul Burston is a dark tale of obsession and a chilling reminder that while social media can be a brilliant and beneficial forum, it can also be highly dangerous.
This is a psychological thriller of modern times, thanks to its very blunt look at friendships, relationships and interactions online. How can we really know the people we respond to on sites such as Facebook or Twitter? In fact, let's face it, we don't know what's going on inside people's heads at all, even those we meet in real life (still waiting for that smartphone app!). It's very easy for all of us to hide behind a public facade. And in the world of social media, you can be pretty much anyone you want to be.
The book has a strong sense of Stephen King's Misery, focusing on Tom (a bestselling author now struggling with his second book) and Evie (his over-enthusiastic author-stalker fan). Thanks to social media, the 'celebrity-fan' line between them has been blurred and now Evie is in court.
The writing is fantastic, especially in terms of setting (both London and Hastings) and characterisation, and the twisty plot moves along at a cracking pace. I will admit that I laughed at some of the insights into the publishing industry - people and events - as they seemed very familiar. There are elements of courtroom drama, some thrilling and tense action scenes and some particularly tender moments between Tom and Colin, his elderly neighbour.
There was a strong sense of unease throughout the book. I could feel the frustration from both sides, alongside a nagging sense of doubt. I really didn't know who to trust - or who could be trusted. Was either one of them telling the truth? And then there was Emma, Tom's best friend, watching the 'car crash' scenario from the sidelines.
This book is thought-provoking and frighteningly plausible. I think we all know at least one 'Tom' and 'Evie'! By the end of The Closer I Get, I wasn't sure if I wanted to interact with anyone online ever again. I now realise that my efforts to interact have diminished ever since! Oops.
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