“The problem with books is that they end. They seduce you. They spread their legs to you and pull you inside. And you go deep and leave your possessions and your ties to the world at the door, and you like it inside, and you don’t want for your possessions or your ties, and then, the book evaporates.”
― Caroline Kepnes, You
My Personal Rating:
You by Caroline Kepnes is one of the most polarizing psychological thriller novels that arrived in 2013. The novel received positive reviews from critics and even novelists from the likes of Stephen King, Sophie Hannah, and even Lena Dunham. You, has been translated into 20 languages and adapted to TV series in Lifetime and continued by Netflix from its second and third season.
This novel is narrated from Joe Goldberg’s perspective. The story began when Joe Goldberg spotted a beautiful aspiring writer Guinevere Beck in the bookstore where Joe is working. He is easily love-struck by her beauty. She is everything Joe wants to a girl. To Joe, she is perfect. So, he decided to stalk her. He googles her name, feeds his obsession through social media, invaded her home without her knowing, and even eliminates all people who are obstacles to their romance. At the same time, Joe and Beck developing their relationship. There is more on Joe than Beck realizes, and Joe discovers a lot more on Beck’s so-called “perfect” life. And every secret cost deadly consequence.
The Lurking Psychopath
Surprisingly, this novel creates a fan-favorite character, Joe Goldberg. He is a mixture of Ted Bundy and H.H. Holmes. Joe is hiding in plain sight, mysterious, enigmatic, and of course, demented. He feeds on his obsession with Beck, and he will do everything to get what he wants. He kills for love. Everyone loves a relatable villain. Even though his infatuation is sick and vile, his effort is what catches attention. Even though he is a psychopath, you can empathize with him with his wit and sacrifices for Beck.
Even though you can relate to him, the readers must instill in their minds that he is not a good example of a lover. He is deranged, and his obsession shows how deadly he can go.
The Claustrophobia of Social Media
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Social media is a new way to add tightness to the story between the characters. Joe is obsessed with Beck, and Beck is obsessed with her façade. Joe uses his knowledge of technology to play his prey as a puppet of his madness. The ingenious addition of social media to deceive the characters is the new way to add flavor to the story. The author of this novel proves that.
Channeling Through Pain and The Writer on the Rise
Caroline Kepnes spoke to meaww.com that she writes You because she wants to channel her pain and rage of her father’s death. Writing You become the medium to cope up with her loss. By keenly reading the novel without listening to an audiobook, it clearly shows that Joe’s narration channels a lot of hate and rage in this novel. You will notice it when you see Joe complaining about her relationship with Beck. It is clearly proven that writing with a ton of heart results in a prolific idea.
Most psychological thriller novels sometimes transverse with the mystery in death. You took a different approach. The novel focused on the looming tension and character buildup of the protagonists. Talking about the fresh stories, this one is really new and very original to the genre. This novel is like what Beck says about Joe; different, hot.
You is one of the complicated, disturbing, and compelling novels that give you chills and lost faith in humanity. Behind all the noir and creepiness of this novel is, you will notice how clever Caroline Kepnes’s writing is. Choosing the psychopath perspective as a narrator is really a bold move. Kepnes managed to empathize the reader with the troubled mind of Joe.
The Future
Joe Goldberg’s twisted mind still has a lot more to give and a lot more to kill. His obsession does not end with Beck. He is still hounding and hunting for his prey. To know more about what happened to Joe, you can read the second and upcoming third novel of the You series entitled Hidden Bodies, and You Love Me.
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