A Novel Obsession

"Barasch has a talent for balancing discomfort and empathy, pushing the reader away and pulling them right back.... The characters are emotionally engaging, beckoning you to rubberneck the inevitable train wreck."
—Associated Press

"A Novel Obsession easily holds a place as 'best book of the year' in my heart so far. It takes a sharp, thoughtful look at the depths of curiosity, obsession, and self-sabotage, and is bound to intrigue you from the very first chapter."
—Farrah Penn, BuzzFeed

“Caitlin Barasch’s writing overflows with humor, compassion, intrigue, and the chaos of identity. It overflows with life itself.”
—*Jonathan Safran Foer, *New York Times bestselling author of Here I Am

“This book is a ride. An unruly study of fixation, performance, and the exquisite agony of anonymity.”
—Raven Leilani, New York Times bestselling author of Luster

"At once a compassionate portrait of someone so desperate for intimacy that she can’t help but sabotage it and an incisive study of female friendship at its most toxic and proprietary, this dread-laden psychological thriller is smart, jarring, and funny.... Propulsive storytelling and an irresistible narrator from a sharp new writer."
—Kirkus, starred review

“Barasch peels back the layers of [her character's] obsessive behavior and apparent emotional detachment to reveal a deeply damaged but utterly compelling young woman.... Barasch's suspenseful puzzle-box tale should appeal to readers of the You series by Caroline Kepnes.”
—**Booklist, starred review

"Naomi as a narrator is both entertaining and anxiety-inducing, as you know her actions won’t culminate into a good ending. But you’ll stay to see it through, in any case. This thriller can be both funny and smart and showcases such an unhealthy example of female friendship."
—BookRiot

"[A] stunning debut…. A Novel Obsession is a story about people—at their best and worst. Plot aside, Barasch reminds us of a simple truth: everybody has a story.”
—Rachel Schwartzmann, BOMB Magazine

“Propulsive, unsettling and searingly funny, Barasch offers an unflinching (and often devastating) look at self-worth, loneliness and an entire generation’s preoccupation with performance and control. A Novel Obsession is the most entertaining book I’ve read all summer.”
—Ella Berman, author of Read with Jenna book club pick *The Comeback

*"Somehow simultaneously a high octane page-turner and a heartbreaking character study of a young woman so afraid of being alone, unloved, and uninteresting, that she can't help but leave behind claw marks on everything she grabs hold of. Barasch's genre-bending debut is inventive and electric, signaling the arrival of a bold new voice in fiction."
—Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl*

“An utterly captivating meditation on femininity, identity, desire, and art, *A Novel Obsession is a ride and a revelation. I read it with my heart in my throat.”
—Lauryn Chamberlain, author of Friends From Home
*
"A solid debut novel from Caitlin Barasch, in which she flips the script and has the actual girlfriend as the stalker . . . refreshing and different."
*—Red Carpet Crash

Auteur

Caitlin Barasch

Texte du rabat

A wry and bold debut novel, which is at once an irresistible catastrophe waiting to happen and an unflinching exploration of how we narrate the stories of our lives, as an aspiring novelist finds herself stalking-and writing about-her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend.

I can't help but compare our worth as writers, as lovers, as women. Is anything solely mine, or will I always dwell in someone else's shadow?

Twenty-four-year-old bookseller and New Yorker Naomi Ackerman, desperate to write a novel, struggles to find the perfect story to tell. When, after years of disastrous Tinder dates, she meets Caleb-a perfectly nice guy with a Welsh accent and a unique patience for all of her quirks-she feels she's finally stumbled into a time-honored subject: love. But then Caleb's ex-girlfriend, Rosemary, enters the scene.

When Naomi learns that Rosemary is not safely tucked away overseas as she'd assumed but in fact lives in New York and works in the literary world, she is fundamentally threatened and intrigued in equal measure. On paper, Rosemary sounds like a better version of Naomi-but if they both fell for the same man, they must have something more essential in common.

Determined to find out how their stories intertwine, Naomi's casual Instagram stalking morphs into a full-blown friendship under false pretenses. She can't seem to get herself to quit Rosemary, in whom she finds an unexpected confidant-and she can't stop writing about her either, now having found the perfect subject for her nascent novel. As her lies and half-truths spiral out of her control, and fact and fiction become increasingly difficult to separate, Naomi manipulates the most important people in her life-her family, her friends, Caleb, Rosemary, and, perhaps most devastatingly, herself-in pursuit of her craft. Ultimately, she's forced to decide who and what she's willing to sacrifice to write them all the perfect ending.

Résumé
*A *Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and a BuzzFeed and New York Post "Best Book of 2022" 

"If you’ve ever felt tempted to ‘keep tabs on’ a partner’s ex on Instagram and then found yourself down a rabbit hole of their vacation posts from three years ago, this debut novel—which follows a 24-year-old New Yorker named Naomi who becomes obsessed with her boyfriend’s former girlfriend—is for you."—Vogue, “Best New Beach Reads”

Twenty-four-year-old New York bookseller Naomi Ackerman is desperate to write a novel, but struggles to find a story to tell. When, after countless disastrous dates, she meets Caleb—a perfectly nice guy with a Welsh accent and a unique patience for all her quirks—she thinks she's finally stumbled onto a time-honored subject: love. Then Caleb's ex-girlfriend, Rosemary, enters the scene. 
 
Upon learning that Rosemary is not safely tucked away in Caleb’s homeland overseas, but in fact lives in New York and also works in the literary world, Naomi is threatened and intrigued in equal measure. If they both fell for the same man, what else might they have in common? The more Naomi learns about Rosemary, the more her curiosity consumes her. Before she knows it, her casual Instagram stalking morphs into a friendship under false pretenses—and becomes the subject of her nascent novel. 

As her lies and half-truths spiral out of control, and fact and fiction become increasingly difficult to untangle, Naomi must decide what—and who—she’s willing to sacrifice to write the perfect ending.

Échantillon de lecture

chapter one

 

My boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, Rosemary, has the same thickness to her eyebrows as I do. The same wavy auburn hair and pear-shaped hips.

 

I'm standing across the street from her office in a chunky maroon sweater and sunglasses, watching her leave. I want to know if she's the type who heads out at five for a gym class or a happy hour, or the type to send emails until eight, adrift in a sea of empty desks.

 

Watching her exit the building at 6:35 p.m., I've now discovered she's neither.

 

I note the New Yorker tote bag she carries, which to me suggests unoriginality, conformity. She crosses the four-lane street with only two seconds left on the crosswalk's countdown. Cars honk, she pops a breath mint. …