The Closer I Get by Paul Burston

The Closer I Get by Paul Burston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Pages - 311

Publisher - Orenda Books

Source - bought ebook & fellow blogger sent a tree copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Tom is a successful author, but he’s struggling to finish his novel. His main distraction is an online admirer, Evie, who simply won’t leave him alone.
Evie is smart, well read and unstable; she lives with her father and her social-media friendships are not only her escape, but everything she has.
When she’s hit with a restraining order, her world is turned upside down, and Tom is free to live his life again, to concentrate on writing.
But things aren’t really adding up. For Tom is distracted but also addicted to his online relationships, and when they take a darker, more menacing turn, he feels powerless to change things. Because maybe he needs Evie more than he’s letting on.
A compulsive, disturbingly relevant, twisty and powerful psychological thriller, The Closer I Get is also a searing commentary on the fragility and insincerity of online relationships, and the danger that can lurk just one ‘like’ away…


My Review

Tom is an author who seemingly has it all, his first book smashed the sales and he was on everyone's A list. Then when his second didn't do so well and he struggled to write his third he found a boost in Evie an online friend and fan. Things take a sinister turn when Evie goes from friend to foe resulting in a restraining order and going to court. But every story has three sides, his side, her side and the truth.

Ooft what a story and warning about how fame can go wrong, we hear from Evie in first person narrative, her side of the story and to be honest she is a bit of a scary biscuit. Tom's story is told in third narrative and we glimpse the person he is in the before, his friendship with his confident and close friend Emma and how he is "coping" with the whole Evie situation.

The story makes for really uneasy reading as you are hearing both sides, at different timelines, how they react and who they seemingly are with their interactions and actions. Whilst Evie is scary Tom isn't the most likeable character and I found myself questioning a lot of the actions in the book.

Almost from page one I had a sense of unease that grew as the book went on, it is chilling, creepy and may make you think twice when it comes to online interactions. The timeline goes from present day to X amount of time before the court case, all well signposted so you know where you are. If you want a book that will creep you out and keep you reading into the wee hours then look no further, 4/5 for me this time. This was my first dance with this author, it won't be my last!

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