Read Me

A Novel

De: Leo Benedictus

Narrado por: Mathew Baynton

Hitchcock's Rear Window meets Messud's The Woman Upstairs in this unnerving, superbly crafted novel which takes listeners deep into the mind of a serial stalker and, through him, the lives of his unsuspecting victims.

Try it yourself. Go out, pick somebody, and watch them. Take your phone and a notebook. Persist. What begins as a confluence of yours and another person's journeys, on the train maybe or leaving a cinema, gets into an entanglement. You follow, feeling that it's not really following because you're going the same way, then when they at last reach their office you feel the clutch of a good-bye. It's normal. But how many times do you think the person being followed has been you?

Read Me is a seductive, haunting novel that holds a sinister mirror up to the ways in which we observe, judge, and influence people. Benedictus' prose commands and draws listeners into the dark, manipulative mind of a serial stalker as he targets women across London, escalating his efforts until he settles on Frances - a bright young professional whose career is set to take off - whose life he proceeds to unravel from the inside out.

A chilling rumination on power, manipulation, complicity, and anonymity, Read Me exposes just how vulnerable we are to the whims of others - people we may not even know.

©2018 Leo Benedictus (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Ingeniously nasty...reminiscent of Vladimir Nabokov and Patricia Highsmith.... Expect to be provoked by a teasing metafictional game." (The Sunday Times)

"A fiendishly clever book, though not for the soft-hearted...You'll find yourself turning pages in the most disturbing kind of grip." (Sydney Morning Herald)

"A word of warning: do not pick up this novella late at night. Not if you'd like to sleep any time soon.... Darkly addictive." (Hephzibah Anderson, The Mail on Sunday)

A stalker "Slice of Life" story

this book is definitely not a grandiose story. it's a stalker slice of life story, which I enjoyed. I was very compelled by the narrator's storytelling capabilities. but I will warn you, it ends at sort of a cliffhanger with no real conclusion.

Not What I Expected

I kept expecting there to be more in this story. I really wanted to like it but I found it very slow in the first half. Then it changed to a lot of really grisly violence. I was disappointed at the "meh" ending. Not for me.

Engrossing, Astonishing, Perfect Narration.

I chanced upon this book by luck and immediately got it, mainly because I’m a huge fan of Mat Baynton. After years of Audible, this was the best thing I have listened to so far. The story is fascinating and completely engrossing (definitely disturbing). Mat Baynton’s voice and narration are beyond perfect. I emphatically hope he chooses to narrate some more “grown-up” stories in the future. Likewise, I hope that Leo Benedictus decides to author another novel. He clearly has a gift.

amazing

this was the most interesting book I've ever heard in my life. the narrator's voice was perfect for this book as well.