With its unconventional heroine and unflinching portrayal of an abused girl's fight to save herself, My Absolute Darling seems poised to become the breakout debut of the year. -The New York Times My Absolute Darling is Gabriel Tallent's first novel, and no less than Stephen King has called it a masterpiece to rank with To Kill A Mockingbird and Catch-22. -NPR Our generation's next beloved literary heroine....this is one of the most important books you'll pick up this decade. -Harper's Bazaar My Absolute Darling is a novel that readers will gulp down, gasping...Tallent [is a] prodigiously talented new writer. -The Washington Post A gripping introduction to a seriously brave little girl... My Absolute Darling is an affecting read but also an important one. -USA Today Impressively, this is...a novel of great beauty, filled with lush evocations of the woods. -Wall Street Journal A searing story of abuse and damaged people, but also about resilience, strength and survival. Much recommended. -Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times A gripping read, written in beautiful, brutal prose ... My Absolute Darling is a Great American Novel for the increasingly isolationist, fractionalised and disenchanted contemporary era. -Financial Times A stunningly poetic psychological thriller. -O, The Oprah Magazine There's no shortage of things to admire in My Absolute Darling -it's a devastating and powerful debut from a writer who's almost certain to have a wonderful career ahead of him. -NPR.org An unputdownable coming-of-age novel. -Entertainment Weekly The best drop-everything debut...if you loved To Kill A Mockingbird's Scout Finch, you'll be into Turtle Alveston. -Glamour A brilliant and haunting debut. -People Lush and vivid. You'll read it with your stomach in your shoes, rooting for [Turtle] the whole time. -Marie Claire [An] engrossing read. -InStyle Captures a compelling young heroine. -Vanity Fair A major American debut that incorporates psychological realism of the highest order, juxtaposed with nature writing that at times is so lyrical, you might as well be reading poetry. -The Houston Chronicle Stunning ... contemplative and heart-wrenching. -Los Angeles Review of Books Extraordinarily unsettling and ambitious...an amazing debut. -The San Francisco Chronicle Brilliant and terrifying, told in expansive, wild and bold prose...Reading this book is like watching an electrical storm, both beautiful and dangerous. -The Minneapolis Star-Tribune [A] glaring, gorgeous book... My Absolute Darling sounds primal alarms with an urgent contemporary voice. -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Beautifully written and emotionally gripping... My Absolute Darling is a strange hybrid of a book, part gorgeous nature writing, part psychologically astute family drama. -Tampa Bay Times Explosive...There are many elements of this story we would rather not believe - all so convincingly rendered that we can't help but believe them. -The Boston Globe With its excellent prose and fast-paced plot, it is a spirited debut. -Dallas News My Absolute Darling is an absolute triumph. -The National Loved every minute. -Newsday The year's must-read novel...Tallent in this debut makes an old story - the drama of coming of age - feel original and full of youthful power. -The Times (London) An incandescent novel with an extraordinary, unforgettable heroine, both deeply contemplative and utterly thrilling. -The Guardian Ferocious, heart-breaking ...Tallent combines gorgeous passages about the wilderness Turtle knows well and a steady beat of dramatic tension in this smashing debut. -BBC [A] gripping, vivid debut...Readers will root for Turtle as she sets out to escape and be absorbed by Tallent's stunning descriptions of nature. -RealSimple The cinematic pace of My Absolute Darling will have you physically reacting...as you barrel to the sakriti opis