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bookrantreviews's review against another edition
5.0
Intensely gripping and deeply unsettling, “The Closer I Get” by Paul Burston takes you to the darkest, most dangerous corners of social media where an obsessed follower can turn into a terrifying real-life nightmare.
Author Tom Hunter’s first novel was a success. His second was panned by readers and critics alike. He needs a third book to save his career, but he’s failing at every attempt he makes to write it, thanks in large part to a stalker who’s been harassing him online.
Evie Stokes is a blogger and potential novelist. She connects with Tom on social media, but she wants much more from the handsome writer than just a follow back. After meeting him at a book signing, she believes they share a special connection. When she sends him her book-in-progress only to have him begin to ignore her, her affections quickly turn to fury and vitriol on Twitter and in emails. Clearly obsessed and mentally unstable, Evie reveals herself as a continued threat to Tom’s life through letters she writes to him (but never sends) after she’s prosecuted for harassment.
As the book alternates between Evie’s letters and Tom’s everyday life, it doesn’t take more than a few chapters to realize she’s as unreliable of a narrator as she is a disturbed woman. Yet, Tom’s no saint either. He treats the people in his life poorly. His ex-boyfriend. His best friend Emma. His one-night stand Luke. It makes you ask: Is he purely Evie’s victim — or does he have ulterior motives that make his relationship with the truth as strained as hers?
“The Closer I Get” is what all psychological thrillers should be. The story unwinds slowly as the book moves at a steady pace and the tension grows. The truth is obscured at every turn by the well-developed characters of Tom and Evie. What is the truth? What are the lies? As Evie reveals herself and her past through the letters she writes, Tom does the same through his actions, but also his personality traits. The story almost seems straight-forward if it weren’t for the clouds of doubt these two constantly cast. By the end, you’re clenching your southern set of cheeks in trepidation. But then, it happens. The honest character is revealed along with the truth in a huge, final twist. It’ll turn you head over feet, making you wish you could read the book for the first time again.
Author Tom Hunter’s first novel was a success. His second was panned by readers and critics alike. He needs a third book to save his career, but he’s failing at every attempt he makes to write it, thanks in large part to a stalker who’s been harassing him online.
Evie Stokes is a blogger and potential novelist. She connects with Tom on social media, but she wants much more from the handsome writer than just a follow back. After meeting him at a book signing, she believes they share a special connection. When she sends him her book-in-progress only to have him begin to ignore her, her affections quickly turn to fury and vitriol on Twitter and in emails. Clearly obsessed and mentally unstable, Evie reveals herself as a continued threat to Tom’s life through letters she writes to him (but never sends) after she’s prosecuted for harassment.
As the book alternates between Evie’s letters and Tom’s everyday life, it doesn’t take more than a few chapters to realize she’s as unreliable of a narrator as she is a disturbed woman. Yet, Tom’s no saint either. He treats the people in his life poorly. His ex-boyfriend. His best friend Emma. His one-night stand Luke. It makes you ask: Is he purely Evie’s victim — or does he have ulterior motives that make his relationship with the truth as strained as hers?
“The Closer I Get” is what all psychological thrillers should be. The story unwinds slowly as the book moves at a steady pace and the tension grows. The truth is obscured at every turn by the well-developed characters of Tom and Evie. What is the truth? What are the lies? As Evie reveals herself and her past through the letters she writes, Tom does the same through his actions, but also his personality traits. The story almost seems straight-forward if it weren’t for the clouds of doubt these two constantly cast. By the end, you’re clenching your southern set of cheeks in trepidation. But then, it happens. The honest character is revealed along with the truth in a huge, final twist. It’ll turn you head over feet, making you wish you could read the book for the first time again.
norwayellesea's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, what a twisty, dark novel this is. A tale about the uglier side of social media when used by the wrong people!
Novelist Tom Hunter is struggling to write his current novel. His first was a best seller, however, critics mauled his second leaving him distracted when it comes to his current work-in-progress. Instead of concentrating on his writing, he's procrastinating on social media, specifically on Twitter. An enthusiastic follower begins bombarding him with comments after he followed her back. It isn't long before Evie Stokes begins turning his life upside-down.
Throughout this novel, the narrative's told from both Tom and Evie's point of view so we gain an insight into what they are thinking. Sometimes I felt we keep getting told the same things repeatedly which draws out the inevitable conclusion. For some reason, although all the characters feel real and in many cases relatable, I didn't warm to them personally-not that there's anything wrong in that. I felt detached from them in the same way as I avoid becoming embroiled in any online drama whilst using social media. Yet, the author manages to create a novel which draws you into this dark place which makes uncomfortable reading, if only to make you aware of your own online activity and its pitfalls.
The Closer I Get is thought-provoking for any reader who is an active user of social media, showing how easily someone can fall victim to a stalker and how when confronted, the truth is distorted. It certainly nurtures a sense of 'food for thought' as we are given both Tom and Evie's differing accounts of their relationship and how it's viewed by outsiders. To balance out the drama, notable secondary characters are Emma, Tom's best friend and Lucinda, his literary agent. Both add a sense of normality around Tom unlike the disturbing events happening in his life.
What I take away from reading this novel is the heightened awareness of potential 'dangers' from using social media, it's sobering. Whilst I enjoyed the drama of the novel, it's the message and warning about the dangers of using social media which impacts me the most.
***review copy received courtesy of Orenda Books***
Novelist Tom Hunter is struggling to write his current novel. His first was a best seller, however, critics mauled his second leaving him distracted when it comes to his current work-in-progress. Instead of concentrating on his writing, he's procrastinating on social media, specifically on Twitter. An enthusiastic follower begins bombarding him with comments after he followed her back. It isn't long before Evie Stokes begins turning his life upside-down.
Throughout this novel, the narrative's told from both Tom and Evie's point of view so we gain an insight into what they are thinking. Sometimes I felt we keep getting told the same things repeatedly which draws out the inevitable conclusion. For some reason, although all the characters feel real and in many cases relatable, I didn't warm to them personally-not that there's anything wrong in that. I felt detached from them in the same way as I avoid becoming embroiled in any online drama whilst using social media. Yet, the author manages to create a novel which draws you into this dark place which makes uncomfortable reading, if only to make you aware of your own online activity and its pitfalls.
The Closer I Get is thought-provoking for any reader who is an active user of social media, showing how easily someone can fall victim to a stalker and how when confronted, the truth is distorted. It certainly nurtures a sense of 'food for thought' as we are given both Tom and Evie's differing accounts of their relationship and how it's viewed by outsiders. To balance out the drama, notable secondary characters are Emma, Tom's best friend and Lucinda, his literary agent. Both add a sense of normality around Tom unlike the disturbing events happening in his life.
What I take away from reading this novel is the heightened awareness of potential 'dangers' from using social media, it's sobering. Whilst I enjoyed the drama of the novel, it's the message and warning about the dangers of using social media which impacts me the most.
***review copy received courtesy of Orenda Books***
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
5.0
I would love to tell you that The Closer I Get is thought-provoking but that would be the understatement of the century. Good heavens, I cannot count the times I looked up from its pages to ponder its content, not on one hand, not on both hands, I’d probably need both feet as well. I mean, it’s a crazy thing, social media, isn’t it. I for one adore Twitter, I really do. I have found my people there. In the so-called real life, hardly anyone relates to my love for books, while on Twitter I have found so many like-minded souls with whom I chat almost daily, people who “get” me, some of whom I feel I know because I know their bookish tastes, because I know some of their character traits, because, like me, they have a furry friend they adore. Likewise I’m sure some of my digital friends think they know me. But do they really? They don’t witness me all grumpy when I get up in the morning and feel like I haven’t slept a wink although I slept for 8 hours straight, they don’t see me on my brain-foggy days when a “thanks for sharing” is about the most I can handle in terms of creative writing, they’re not here when I’m stressed, or sad, or hangry, because I’m not on Twitter in those moments. I may come across as someone who wears her heart on her sleeve, while actually, in that so-called real life, I often want to hide under a blankie and keep my heart hidden in my trouser pocket. You may think you know me because of my profile pic. But who’s to say I am who I tell you I am? I could be anyone! I could be a 54 year old lumberjack using a photo of his niece! I could have a silver beard in real life! I could weigh a ton, I could be 7 feet tall! For the record, I am exactly who I say I am. But how can you be sure?! Suffice it to say, The Closer I Get made me wonder about all that and lots more and it even made me a teensy bit paranoid. Okay I lie, it made me very paranoid.
The Closer I Get didn’t only make me a paranoid android when it came to Twitter, I was wary of all the characters too. There’s Evie. She’s in her mid-thirties, single, smart, a very opinionated blogger not afraid to cook up a Twitter storm, proud of being blocked left right and centre because she sees blocking a person as an admission of defeat. We’re clearly meant to see Evie as the bad guy here, I mean, she is the stalker and stalking is bad. But. Is she really? Is she all bad? Perhaps she’s not quite right in the head, and that wouldn’t be her fault, would it? Or maybe she simply got the wrong end of the stick, and misinterpreted certain signals Tom might have given her. Because Tom? I was almost as wary of him as I was of Evie. He behaves kind of strange, he comes across as rather arrogant, and I really didn’t trust him all that much. I do love it when authors write about authors. It always makes me wonder how much of the story is autobiographical. A third character I was wary of was Emma, a close friend of Tom’s, but how close are they really? There seems to be some tension between them, part of which seems to be sexual, which felt a bit odd since Tom is gay, and I mean “odd” in the sense that I felt that Tom might be taking advantage of a vulnerable woman, or at least has some sort of ulterior motive, or maybe Emma does. In a nutshell: I was looking very askance at about every character (except Colin, I loved Colin, let’s hear it for Colin!).
What does Evie know about Tom, what is Tom hiding, with every raised question more burning than the one before, with every chapter more intriguing than the former, the plot thickens and the finale came as quite a shock. It had me going back to the previous chapter and rereading it to see if I’d maybe misunderstood something. I hadn’t, ‘t was only Paul Burston, pulling the wool over my eyes.
Overall, a very entertaining novel, a well-written story that flows, gaining momentum along the way, keeping the reader absorbed, but what got to me most was the theme, the way Paul Burston made me think and ponder and wonder, pure genius. Highly recommended.
The Closer I Get didn’t only make me a paranoid android when it came to Twitter, I was wary of all the characters too. There’s Evie. She’s in her mid-thirties, single, smart, a very opinionated blogger not afraid to cook up a Twitter storm, proud of being blocked left right and centre because she sees blocking a person as an admission of defeat. We’re clearly meant to see Evie as the bad guy here, I mean, she is the stalker and stalking is bad. But. Is she really? Is she all bad? Perhaps she’s not quite right in the head, and that wouldn’t be her fault, would it? Or maybe she simply got the wrong end of the stick, and misinterpreted certain signals Tom might have given her. Because Tom? I was almost as wary of him as I was of Evie. He behaves kind of strange, he comes across as rather arrogant, and I really didn’t trust him all that much. I do love it when authors write about authors. It always makes me wonder how much of the story is autobiographical. A third character I was wary of was Emma, a close friend of Tom’s, but how close are they really? There seems to be some tension between them, part of which seems to be sexual, which felt a bit odd since Tom is gay, and I mean “odd” in the sense that I felt that Tom might be taking advantage of a vulnerable woman, or at least has some sort of ulterior motive, or maybe Emma does. In a nutshell: I was looking very askance at about every character (except Colin, I loved Colin, let’s hear it for Colin!).
What does Evie know about Tom, what is Tom hiding, with every raised question more burning than the one before, with every chapter more intriguing than the former, the plot thickens and the finale came as quite a shock. It had me going back to the previous chapter and rereading it to see if I’d maybe misunderstood something. I hadn’t, ‘t was only Paul Burston, pulling the wool over my eyes.
Overall, a very entertaining novel, a well-written story that flows, gaining momentum along the way, keeping the reader absorbed, but what got to me most was the theme, the way Paul Burston made me think and ponder and wonder, pure genius. Highly recommended.
zooloo1983's review against another edition
5.0
I am not sure if I have any new words to review this book that has not already been said but I can only but try. Have I already mentioned how excited I was about reading this book? It truly did not disappoint me, Paul got me hooked from the opening pages. I really did not want to put the book but I did not want to rush it, well mainly being ill hasn’t helped, but I wanted to savour every word on every page. I was enthralled with this story of Evie and Tom, Tom and Evie. This dark tale of obsession and the power of an unrequited love resonates so much through The Closer I Get. Recently it was shared on social media an interview that Paul had done in the Guardian. It was a heartbreaking and brave account of his personal struggle with being stalked by someone, so this book does feel like a partial autobiography adding to the power of the written word. Paul has crafted a book that will unsettle you and have you looking over your shoulder. He pulls you in from the opening pages, each page you read is just a bit more unsettling, a bit more terrifying. I was dying to see how everything would play out because surely it could not get any darker….could it?
Well hello to Evie, someone that I feel everyone could relate a tiny bit with. I mean I completely fangirl when an author acknowledges me on social media, comments on my posts etc. You get a buzz, a thrill from that small amount of recognition and at the beginning, I sat there and thought WOW I’m Evie!! However, I have not taken up stalking, I mean I draw the line somewhere ……promise! The problem we have with Evie, and later with Tom, is that the lines become blurry. Who is telling the truth when it comes to their day in court? What secrets are being hidden?
Both lives are completely changed from the outcome of that day, none of it seems to be for the good. Both are heading down a dark and twisty path with very little signs of redemption, a lot of questionable actions and neither of them very likeable. But this doesn’t matter, it’s the intrigue of how their lives get so entwined together, what is keeping them together?
Tom is such a flawed man, he is far from privileged but sometimes he acts above his station. To him, some people are a means to an end and only he can make that decision. I mean who gave him that right? His reaction, for example, to the way Evie is now being “trolled” on Social media, is cold and callous even his best friend Emma cannot grasp it. Months and months of being stalked and tortured by this mentally unstable woman, and he can not fathom any remorse for what is now happening to her. Now don’t get me wrong part of me completely gets this, I mean why should he? He has suffered at her hands, he’s been made to feel like he is slowly losing the plot, so surely he’s entitled to some payback to her now being trolled. However, I felt remorse for her, no one should suffer the backlash like she had, especially if she is mentally unstable, this has the potential to do way more damage and something should be done to help. Tom, however, does not see any of this as his problem and why should he?
I enjoyed watching this unfurl from Tom and Evie’s point of view throughout the story. Tom, retreating to Hastings (only down the road from me!) to finish his book and creates an unlikely friendship with Colin, all the while struggling with the day to day and relying on the alcohol and cigarettes to get him through as he feels he is slowly losing his mind. Evie’s story is told through the letters/emails that she writes to Tom but never send due to her restraining order, trying to explain her position. Through this, the anger that they both feel is palpable and the sense of foreboding is so strong throughout you just do not have a clue what is going to happen and when the storm will roll on in. I felt on edge continuously, I seriously could not relax! It was intense and my emotions were all over the place. I was indifferent with both characters and I could not always figure out where Emma, Tom’s best friend, fit into all of this until that last piece of the jigsaw slotted home.
The Closer I Get also completely knocks the ball out of the park and amplifies the dangers of social media. Who is the keyboard warrior hiding behind their screens? How well do we know people? In the blogging community, you make a lot of virtual friends with the hope you do becomes friends in real life. But do you ever know who is the person behind the profile picture? I love Twitter, not that I really understand it, for the social aspect, but it is easy to see how one wrong word fuels a Halestorm of misconceptions. This is amplified here, with the trolling, the retweets, nothing is sacred or hidden for long. It really does make me wonder, do I need to deactivate mine before it’s too late??
For me this is one of my books of the year, it has everything I need from a book and it is a book that has not left me since finishing the final words. I really do recommend this to everyone and I have been shouting about this since I finished it!
Did I like this book? Erm…No… I bloody LOVED it. Why? Well, it’s hard to put into words why. The characters are unlikeable, the theme is dark and unsettling, there is so much tension in the book and above all it keeps you hooked until the end. I don’t feel like I had a respite at the end! It is the sort of book I would recommend reading on a dark cold rainy night, with a blanket and a blinking large glass of wine, maybe some merlot, all the while savouring the tantalising tale in front of you.
bexington's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
always_need_more_books's review against another edition
4.0
Tom Hunter is a successful novelist – his first book was a major hit, his second not so much. Now he is being stalked by Evie, a young woman who he met at a book signing. Evie is well-read, clever but unstable. She lives with her father and her only interactions with the world appear to be through social media. She writes a blog and enjoys antagonising people on Twitter.
When she is taken to court by Tom, she is hit with a restraining order and her life is turned upside down. Tom on the other hand is free to return to writing, yet he is still anxious about Evie, despite the court ruling.
Told from both Tom’s and Evie’s points of view this is a cracking read. I literally polished this off in two sittings! Neither Tom nor Evie are very likeable. Although I had some sympathy for Tom, he doesn’t appear to be a very nice person, taking his only real friend Emma for granted. Evie is a sad character, having had an unhappy childhood with a mother who didn’t love her. But she also seems to be one of those people who like to argue for the sake of it and love to have disagreements.
It made me realise how having a stalker, even a remote one who targets their obsessive behaviour through social media and email can still have a devastating effect on someone’s mental health.
I never quite trusted what either character was telling me which added to the uneasy nature of this read. Tom’s paranoia really shone through and I felt quite anxious while reading this.
The beginning of the book is set in Tom’s home town of London and the second half is set in Hastings, where Tom decides to stay after the court case, in the hope a change of scenery will help him write another bestseller. I liked Tom’s unlikely friendship with his downstairs neighbour in Hastings – Colin, an elderly gay man. There are many mentions of homophobia both in the present (with Tom) and in the past with Colin and how even now, Tom doesn’t feel entirely comfortable making it obvious he is gay, always feeling a little vulnerable.
A current and believable read, I found this twisty and compelling. It really made me questions my own usage of social media! While I am on Twitter, I don’t tend to get into arguments! I’m very much about the books and bookish Twitter for the most part is just lovely and supportive but I am well aware of how quickly the tide can turn.
This was a dark and disturbing read, a twisty turny thriller that is a serious contender to be one of the best thrillers I have read so far this year!
When she is taken to court by Tom, she is hit with a restraining order and her life is turned upside down. Tom on the other hand is free to return to writing, yet he is still anxious about Evie, despite the court ruling.
Told from both Tom’s and Evie’s points of view this is a cracking read. I literally polished this off in two sittings! Neither Tom nor Evie are very likeable. Although I had some sympathy for Tom, he doesn’t appear to be a very nice person, taking his only real friend Emma for granted. Evie is a sad character, having had an unhappy childhood with a mother who didn’t love her. But she also seems to be one of those people who like to argue for the sake of it and love to have disagreements.
It made me realise how having a stalker, even a remote one who targets their obsessive behaviour through social media and email can still have a devastating effect on someone’s mental health.
I never quite trusted what either character was telling me which added to the uneasy nature of this read. Tom’s paranoia really shone through and I felt quite anxious while reading this.
The beginning of the book is set in Tom’s home town of London and the second half is set in Hastings, where Tom decides to stay after the court case, in the hope a change of scenery will help him write another bestseller. I liked Tom’s unlikely friendship with his downstairs neighbour in Hastings – Colin, an elderly gay man. There are many mentions of homophobia both in the present (with Tom) and in the past with Colin and how even now, Tom doesn’t feel entirely comfortable making it obvious he is gay, always feeling a little vulnerable.
A current and believable read, I found this twisty and compelling. It really made me questions my own usage of social media! While I am on Twitter, I don’t tend to get into arguments! I’m very much about the books and bookish Twitter for the most part is just lovely and supportive but I am well aware of how quickly the tide can turn.
This was a dark and disturbing read, a twisty turny thriller that is a serious contender to be one of the best thrillers I have read so far this year!
noveldeelights's review against another edition
4.0
Well, now. If this doesn’t make you want to shut down all of your social media accounts and unplug your modern technology gadgets from now until eternity, I don’t know what will.
Tom Hunter is a successful author but he’s struggling to finish his latest novel. An online fan, Evie, just will not leave him alone. When Evie is hit with a restraining order, Tom is able to live again and enjoy his freedom. Or is he? Because there is a lot more to this story than you might think.
I must admit, I’ve been struggling with the psychological thriller genre a bit lately. But this one? Gosh, this one is SO dark and SO utterly brilliantly disturbing, it had me hooked! And of course, immensely relatable because I’m sure many of us have had to deal with “trolls” on social media. Paul Burston really manages to bring home the impact this kind of behaviour can have on someone who’s at the receiving end. To the point where I myself was beginning to feel completely paranoid, eying my social media followers, wondering who’s hiding behind those profile pictures.
I didn’t find either of these characters particularly likeable. I’m not entirely sure if I was meant to. As unstable as Evie is, I often felt like smacking her because I found her extremely irritating (sorry!). And as for Tom, despite being the victim in this case, he often came across as an arrogant douchebag (again, sorry!) and there was just something about him that meant I didn’t fully trust him.
You can’t have a psychological thriller and not have a few surprises along the way, now can you. Paul Burston did that extremely well and pulled the rug right from under my feet. I was never quite able to figure out the outcome of this story, couldn’t see how this would all end and tried to imagine a few different scenarios. None of which were happy and fluffy, mind you. The ultimate conclusion though is one I could never have predicted at all and it blew me away!
This story is massively unsettling. With an almost unbearable tension, complex characters, a remarkable psychological insight and an impending sense of doom, The Closer I Get is a highly addictive, thought-provoking and compelling page-turner. Creepy, extremely frightening and chilling, this is the kind of book you just can’t put down and one which makes you appreciate the psychological thriller genre all over again!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and deactivate my twitter account. 😅
Tom Hunter is a successful author but he’s struggling to finish his latest novel. An online fan, Evie, just will not leave him alone. When Evie is hit with a restraining order, Tom is able to live again and enjoy his freedom. Or is he? Because there is a lot more to this story than you might think.
I must admit, I’ve been struggling with the psychological thriller genre a bit lately. But this one? Gosh, this one is SO dark and SO utterly brilliantly disturbing, it had me hooked! And of course, immensely relatable because I’m sure many of us have had to deal with “trolls” on social media. Paul Burston really manages to bring home the impact this kind of behaviour can have on someone who’s at the receiving end. To the point where I myself was beginning to feel completely paranoid, eying my social media followers, wondering who’s hiding behind those profile pictures.
I didn’t find either of these characters particularly likeable. I’m not entirely sure if I was meant to. As unstable as Evie is, I often felt like smacking her because I found her extremely irritating (sorry!). And as for Tom, despite being the victim in this case, he often came across as an arrogant douchebag (again, sorry!) and there was just something about him that meant I didn’t fully trust him.
You can’t have a psychological thriller and not have a few surprises along the way, now can you. Paul Burston did that extremely well and pulled the rug right from under my feet. I was never quite able to figure out the outcome of this story, couldn’t see how this would all end and tried to imagine a few different scenarios. None of which were happy and fluffy, mind you. The ultimate conclusion though is one I could never have predicted at all and it blew me away!
This story is massively unsettling. With an almost unbearable tension, complex characters, a remarkable psychological insight and an impending sense of doom, The Closer I Get is a highly addictive, thought-provoking and compelling page-turner. Creepy, extremely frightening and chilling, this is the kind of book you just can’t put down and one which makes you appreciate the psychological thriller genre all over again!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and deactivate my twitter account. 😅
yvo_about_books's review
4.5
Finished reading: July 11th 2019
"The whole online world is one big stalking exercise. If I'm guilty, then so are millions of others."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Anne Cater and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I admit it doesn't happen often, but every once in a while I come across a story that is able to blow me away in such a way that I find myself unable to put a coherent sentence on paper, let alone write a review that would do it justice. The Closer I Get is one of those stories. I normally write my reviews almost immediately, not wanting to forget about the details of the story as well as conveying my thoughts accurately. This time around, I found myself unable to conjure the words to describe my thoughts for more than a week, my brain still recovering from the impact of Tom and Evie's story. In the end I simply had to put my foot down, make myself open my Wordpress draft, start my rambles and see if it would make my creative juices start flowing. Let's see if I can get my thoughts on paper somewhat coherently, shall we?
The first thing that stands out in The Closer I Get is the focus on social media and the dangers behind online presence and relationships. It's a theme extremely relevant in today's society, as a lot of people give more and more importance to their online presence and frequently 'hide' behind their online personality. Frankly, the online stalking as described in The Closer I Get chilled me to the bone and made me seriously wonder if I should just shut down all my social media accounts to be on the safe side. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my time on bookish Twitter and Instagram and I love sharing the bookish love, but we all know that trolls are out there and the possibility of online stalking is evidently real. This is only confirmed by Paul Burston's interview in the Guardian which I saw shared on social media a while back, where he tells us about his personal struggle with being stalked by someone... Adding even more authenticity and power to message of The Closer I Get. It's true that one of the perks of social media is getting to meet new people with similar interests you probably won't be able to meet otherwise, but who can garantuee your new follower/friend is who they claim to be? Or if they have an ulterior motive for befriending you? If you start standing still by these questions, social media quickly becomes a scary place to be...
The Closer I Get isn't just a story about online stalking though. With the help of an intricate and well developed plot, the story focuses on two flawed and complex characters with their own secrets and past. It's a tale of obsession and unrequited love, one that ends up in court and has serious consequences for both sides. Told with the help of a daunting, sharp and flawless writing style, The Closer I Get will grab you from the first chapter and will have you looking over your shoulder and biting your nails sooner than later. The story alternates between the POV of Evie and Tom, giving us the chance to get to know better both stalker and victim and giving you a (seemingly) less biased view of the situation. You will learn more about Evie's story through the letters she writes to Tom after her conviction, letters she can never send due to her restraining order. She tries to explain her view on the situation in these messages, never faltering in her belief that her actions are justified and her feelings for Tom mutual. On the other side we have Tom, who is clearly affected by the whole online stalking situation as well as his struggle with writing another successful story after his second book flopped. Reading about his deteriorating mental state as well as his decision to leave London find inspiration to finish his book Hastings was without doubt intriguing. And while it's true that I didn't find Tom or Evie particularly likeable characters, it's also true that I found their development on its own to be both fascinating and realisticly done.
What makes this story even more intriguing is that basically both Tom and Evie are unpredicable and unreliable characters. There are no clearly defined boundaries between the so-called good and bad guys. Instead, we have two characters that you will find basically cannot to be trusted. Who is lying? Could part of their story be true? What secrets are the characters hiding? Life as well as The Closer I Get is not black and white, instead giving us blurred boundaries between truth and lies and that haunting. feeling that somehow part of the puzzle is missing. The plot will slowly evolve and escalate up until the point you will find yourself unable to sit still and biting your nails to the quick. The tension might be slow building at first, but this story will have some spectacular surprises for you in store and an ending you won't be able to see coming.
Evocative, daunting, well versed and simply shocking... The Closer I Get will leave you breathless and disquieted about your own online presence and the possible consequences and dangers it entails. As you might have guessed already, I can highly recommend this title to any fan of the genre.
melaniesreads's review against another edition
5.0
How do I write a review on a book that’s about a crazy blogger? Bearing in mind how the author has depicted a certain blogger should I be worried? For the record I’m pretty harmless unless I haven’t had my morning cuppa and ciggie and even then the most you will get is a grunt.
This is another corker for Orenda Books and Paul I tip my imaginary but fabulous hat off to you writing a book about something so personal. They always say write about what you know and boy can you tell this is written with experience. The writing is sharp and never misses a beat. Tom and Evie are at turns bullies and victims, the lines so blurred it’s easy to see both perspectives and that makes for a terrific cat and mouse chase. My loyalties constantly switched as Tom regularly became an arrogant arse who treated people abysmally and Evie’s childhood was brought to light.
I hate bullying of any form and my motto in life is if you can be anything be kind. I’m on most social media platforms and I’m lucky in that I’ve never witnessed anything but niceness but I know it goes on. This book really shows how social media is as much of a weapon as a knife or gun in the hands of the wrong people. The old saying sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me obviously came about before the internet . I think Edward Bulwer-Lytton was more accurate with the pen is mightier than the sword. Words can hurt but in the case of Paul Burston’s words they can also make you more aware of how you never know what is going on in someone’s life so be careful. You can’t control situations but you can control how you react to them.
This was a fast paced thriller with plenty of breath holding moments and an ending I didn’t see coming. Some fantastic characters who love or loathe them you can’t help but get involved.
My final note is just to say not all bloggers are deranged stalkers some of us are just deranged.
This is another corker for Orenda Books and Paul I tip my imaginary but fabulous hat off to you writing a book about something so personal. They always say write about what you know and boy can you tell this is written with experience. The writing is sharp and never misses a beat. Tom and Evie are at turns bullies and victims, the lines so blurred it’s easy to see both perspectives and that makes for a terrific cat and mouse chase. My loyalties constantly switched as Tom regularly became an arrogant arse who treated people abysmally and Evie’s childhood was brought to light.
I hate bullying of any form and my motto in life is if you can be anything be kind. I’m on most social media platforms and I’m lucky in that I’ve never witnessed anything but niceness but I know it goes on. This book really shows how social media is as much of a weapon as a knife or gun in the hands of the wrong people. The old saying sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me obviously came about before the internet . I think Edward Bulwer-Lytton was more accurate with the pen is mightier than the sword. Words can hurt but in the case of Paul Burston’s words they can also make you more aware of how you never know what is going on in someone’s life so be careful. You can’t control situations but you can control how you react to them.
This was a fast paced thriller with plenty of breath holding moments and an ending I didn’t see coming. Some fantastic characters who love or loathe them you can’t help but get involved.
My final note is just to say not all bloggers are deranged stalkers some of us are just deranged.