A Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and A Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by BuzzFeed, The Millions, Goodreads, Bustle, BookRiot, and The Nerd Daily
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.
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.
Genre: Literary Fiction
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.
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.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"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
"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
"Caitlin Barasch's writing overflows with humor, compassion, intrigue, and the chaos of identity. It overflows with life itself." - Jonathan Safran Foer
"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
"This book is a ride. An unruly study of fixation, performance, and the exquisite agony of anonymity." - Raven Leilani
"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
"Caitlin Barasch's writing overflows with humor, compassion, intrigue, and the chaos of identity. It overflows with life itself." - Jonathan Safran Foer
"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
"This book is a ride. An unruly study of fixation, performance, and the exquisite agony of anonymity." - Raven Leilani
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Caitlin Barasch's A Novel Obsession