You
by Caroline Kepnes
Like millions of others, I watched the Netflix series You and understood (I use that word because no learning was necessary) the dangers of having no boundaries on social media. Just like the series, the book is narrated in the first-person perspective of the male stalker. And just like the series, the female “victim” (I use quotations because “victim” implies a stereotype with no character development) is portrayed as shallow, self-centered, using her social media accounts to deceive others into thinking she has a certain type of life, and completely unaware of vulnerable she has made herself.
Now for the differences: As the subject of this story is online voyeurism and stalking, it’s just far more effective to watch than read. The man doesn’t steal her diary and read lengthy passages of in-depth prose. He notices everything she’s wearing, her body language towards him, and views pictures posted on her social media. When read, the reader has to suspend their disbelief that he pauses at every moment to dictate his thoughts into the book for our enjoyment.
There was one passage that stuck with me in a very negative way. The vast majority of the text was believable as a male’s first-person perspective, but in one sentence, the illusion was shattered. I was severely disappointed, and the book was never able to recover afterwards. When the lead character finally goes to bed with his object of desire, he makes a comment about birth control. He writes that because the woman is ultimately in control of whether or not she gets pregnant and has a child, he realizes he’s completely powerless. As much control he believed himself to have, he’s completely in the subservient position because of this. I’m sorry, but no man would ever feel that way – let alone the type of character he was written to be. These sentences reeked of textbook modern feminism. The author should have shown some self-restraint and stuck to the theme of her novel.
So, unless you love these stalker-villain-is-protagonist books and are a textbook modern feminist, I can’t really recommend this one. The birth control passage just ruined any credibility the book started to have, and as I already knew how dangerous it is to allow strangers to see intimate details of your life (and location) online, I didn’t find it an educational cautionary tale.
Now for the differences: As the subject of this story is online voyeurism and stalking, it’s just far more effective to watch than read. The man doesn’t steal her diary and read lengthy passages of in-depth prose. He notices everything she’s wearing, her body language towards him, and views pictures posted on her social media. When read, the reader has to suspend their disbelief that he pauses at every moment to dictate his thoughts into the book for our enjoyment.
There was one passage that stuck with me in a very negative way. The vast majority of the text was believable as a male’s first-person perspective, but in one sentence, the illusion was shattered. I was severely disappointed, and the book was never able to recover afterwards. When the lead character finally goes to bed with his object of desire, he makes a comment about birth control. He writes that because the woman is ultimately in control of whether or not she gets pregnant and has a child, he realizes he’s completely powerless. As much control he believed himself to have, he’s completely in the subservient position because of this. I’m sorry, but no man would ever feel that way – let alone the type of character he was written to be. These sentences reeked of textbook modern feminism. The author should have shown some self-restraint and stuck to the theme of her novel.
So, unless you love these stalker-villain-is-protagonist books and are a textbook modern feminist, I can’t really recommend this one. The birth control passage just ruined any credibility the book started to have, and as I already knew how dangerous it is to allow strangers to see intimate details of your life (and location) online, I didn’t find it an educational cautionary tale.