The Book of You

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Copyright

HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London, SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2014

Copyright © Claire Kendal 2014

Cover design layout © HarperCollinsPublishers 2014

Cover photographs © Clarissa Costa/Trigger Image (woman); Lee Avison/Arcangel Images (man).

Claire Kendal asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007531646

Ebook Edition © APRIL 2014 ISBN: 9780007531660

Version: 2017-03-02

Praise for The Book of You:

‘Both brutal and unbearably tense, The Book of You announces the arrival of a fierce new talent, a writer not afraid to grasp a woman’s fears in stark detail and to invoke nightmares’

Daily Mail

‘Clever, claustrophobic and chillingly good’

Good Housekeeping

‘The Book of You starts with breathtaking brilliance and then just gets better with every page. Already my book of the year’

Elizabeth Haynes, author of Into the Darkest Corner

‘Gripping, with some very smart twists’

Woman

‘Any thriller that has you checking over your shoulder and peeking from behind your curtains must be gripping so hats off to Claire Kendal’s hard-hitting debut for doing just this’

Stylist

‘Addictive … I literally hardly breathed as I raced to the end. It’s a terrifying thriller’

Samantha Hayes, author of Until You’re Mine

‘A gripping read!’

Closer

‘Creepy and compelling … what happens when the wrong guy won’t take no for an answer?’

Paula Daly, author of Just What Kind of Mother Are You?

‘Truly riveting’

New York Times Book Review

‘Chilling, raw, and utterly addictive, The Book of You is the kind of psychological thriller that you will want to read in one gulp, only to find yourself terrified once the lights are off ’ Alafair Burke, author of If You Were Here

‘Kendal is adept at portraying the paring-down of a life when it has been invaded … terrifying – thrilling’

Chicago Tribune

‘A palpitating tale of obsession and dangerously unrequited love. Fans of Gone Girl and The Silent Wife will enjoy the delectable tension right up until the heart-stopping conclusion’ Library Journal (starred review)

‘This is a gripping tale, well written and cleverly plotted, which should be pressed on anyone who still doubts that unwanted adoration is not a compliment but a menace’

Literary Review

‘An intimate, chilling first novel …’

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

‘If you’re in need of a psychological thriller that’ll have you flicking on all of the lights then look no further than The Book of You.’

Uncorked Thoughts

‘Kendal expertly heightens the suspense while offering a disturbing portrait of a clever stalker’

Booklist

‘An engrossing literary thriller’

Los Angeles Times

Dedication

For my father, who gave me

my first book of fairy tales.

And for my mother, who

taught me to read.

As for this little key, it is that of the closet at the end of the long gallery, on the ground floor. Open everything, and go everywhere except that little closet, which I forbid you to enter, and I forbid you so strictly, that if you should venture to open the door, there is nothing that you may not have to dread from my anger.

‘Blue Beard’, Charles Perrault

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise

Dedication

Epigraph

Week 1: The Spinning Girl

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Week 2: The Fire Dance

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Week 3: The Steadfast Lover

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Week 4: The Potion of Forgetfulness

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Week 5: The Guardians

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday and Sunday

Week 6: The Forbidden Key

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Week 7: The Drying Room

Monday and Wednesday

Wednesday and Thursday

Eighteen Weeks Later: The Maiden Without Hands

Acknowledgements

Read on for an exclusive extract from the gripping new psychological thriller from Claire Kendal

Reading Group Question

About the Author

About the Publisher

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