My Absolute Darling

A Novel

By: Gabriel Tallent

Narrated by: Alex McKenna

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
FINALIST FOR THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE AND THE JOHN LEONARD PRIZE
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, NPR, AND USA TODAY

"Impossible to put down." —NPR

"A novel that readers will gulp down, gasping.” —The Washington Post

"The word 'masterpiece' has been cheapened by too many blurbs, but My Absolute Darling absolutely is one." —Stephen King

From the author of the acclaimed novel Crux, a brilliant, immersive, all-consuming read about one fourteen-year-old girl's heart-stopping fight for her own soul.

Turtle Alveston is a survivor. At fourteen, she roams the woods along the northern California coast. The creeks, tide pools, and rocky islands are her haunts and her hiding grounds, and she is known to wander for miles. But while her physical world is expansive, her personal one is small and treacherous: Turtle has grown up isolated since the death of her mother, in the thrall of her tortured and charismatic father, Martin. Her social existence is confined to the middle school (where she fends off the interest of anyone, student or teacher, who might penetrate her shell) and to her life with her father.

Then Turtle meets Jacob, a high-school boy who tells jokes, lives in a big clean house, and looks at Turtle as if she is the sunrise. And for the first time, the larger world begins to come into focus: her life with Martin is neither safe nor sustainable. Motivated by her first experience with real friendship and a teenage crush, Turtle starts to imagine escape, using the very survival skills her father devoted himself to teaching her. What follows is a harrowing story of bravery and redemption. With Turtle's escalating acts of physical and emotional courage, the reader watches, heart in throat, as this teenage girl struggles to become her own hero—and in the process, becomes ours as well.

Shot through with striking language in a fierce natural setting, My Absolute Darling is an urgently told, profoundly moving read that marks the debut of an extraordinary new writer.

Great Book may be WAY too much for many.

This was a great book but it tested my limits regarding graphic abusive violence. If you are the least bit squeamish this novel is not for you. Nevertheless the writing and characterization is fantastic and the book and the main character could not have been as powerful without the intensity of the violence. The story, the character's emotions, and my own emotions took many startling twists and turns listening to this book. I found the prose superior and the story (including the ending) completely excellent. This character will stick with me for many, many years.

The intensity and violence builds. There is an incident early in the book that fooled me into thinking this book would mask the violence...later it doesn't.

I will recommend this book to people that I think are up for it...but not without a really clear warning.

The narration (of exceedingly difficult material) was excellent.

Riveting, painful and totally compelling

Binge listened. I simply could not leave this story. Turtle's life is horrific. Beside the tension between the characters, there is the tension we feel in our relationship to Turtle. I alternated between wanting to save her, scream at her and comfort her. She is a heroine for our times, facing misogyny and abuse with grit, independence and courage that left me in wonder and at the end, in tears.

meh

Extremely violent and repetitive. Bad language doesn't bother me but this was really excessive and annoying. Unsatisfactory conclusion, imo.

quite the story

First time author for me, debut novel for the author.

This is a coming of age story like no other. A 14 year old girl with a survivalist father who has physically and emotionally abused her since a very young age accepts to herself as she is getting older and reaching womanhood that something has to change. This is that story.

The book itself is very intense and not for the weak. It is very graphic in description.


The author grew up in Mendocino, CA where this book is set. He was an outdoors person himself so you have to figure he used some of his own experiences in the book. You also have to wonder how his imagination came up with this story.

It will be very interesting to see if he comes out with another book and, if so, what is the plot?

Disturbing story and unnecessary language

This was a difficult story to read and listen to. I couldn't recommend the book to anyone due the unnecessary language.