My Absolute Darling
A twisted tale about a daughter's revenge
Gabriel Tallent has come out of nowhere to deliver his debut novel, My Absolute Darling (Random House). This grueling gauntlet through the dark and twisted mind of a downright evil human being and his tragic victim is already an instant New York Times Bestseller.
Julia is a fourteen-year-old girl who lives in the outskirts of her California community with her father, a crazed survivalist obsessed with what he perceives as a looming apocalypse. He is also physically, emotionally, psychologically, and sexually abusive towards Julia, who he nicknames “Turtle,” or the more uncomfortable “Kibble,” like inanimate food to be devoured by a larger creature.
The novel is a harrowing portrait of a seedy side of Americana, with an unrelenting brutality that makes The Handmaid’s Tale look tame in comparison. However, the tiniest sliver of light enters Julia’s painful existence when she gets a taste of what her life could be like outside of the clutches of her predatory father; it’s enough to turn her from a victim to a scrappy hero, and she resolves to use the very survival skills he taught her in an effort to escape his grasp.
Iconic horror/Americana author Stephen King declared My Absolute Darling a “masterpiece,” and NPR has called the novel “Impossible to put down.” The future is bright for Tallent, who has become a household name in the literary world.
My Absolute Darling is out now.
