Thrillers & Suspense
![Catherine Chidgey - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B001JRZ8NW.jpg)
Pet
A suspenseful new psychological thriller from the Women's Prize for Fiction longlisted and Dublin Literary Award shortlisted author of Remote Sympathy, Catherine Chidgey.
Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine's sense that something isn't quite right grows ever stronger. With each twist of the plot, this gripping story of deception and the corrosive power of guilt takes a yet darker turn. Justine must decide where her loyalties lie.
Set in New Zealand in the 1980s and probing themes of racism, misogyny and the oppressive reaches of Catholicism, Pet will take a rightful place next to other classic portraits of childhood betrayal and psychological suspense: Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures, Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping among them.
"Refreshing, compelling and surprising."―Ann Morgan, author of Beside Myself and Reading the World
Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine's sense that something isn't quite right grows ever stronger. With each twist of the plot, this gripping story of deception and the corrosive power of guilt takes a yet darker turn. Justine must decide where her loyalties lie.
Set in New Zealand in the 1980s and probing themes of racism, misogyny and the oppressive reaches of Catholicism, Pet will take a rightful place next to other classic portraits of childhood betrayal and psychological suspense: Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures, Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping among them.
"Refreshing, compelling and surprising."―Ann Morgan, author of Beside Myself and Reading the World
Editorial Reviews
"A lingering, haunting book...a landmark in the small but potent canon of contemporary novels about unusual girls reckoning with themselves and the world around them."-Ruth Franklin, The New York Times
★ "This dark novel probes the power of deception, betrayal, religion, and childhood in every twist of its mesmerizing plot. Lovers of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Donna Tartt's The Secret History will want to read this compelling novel by an award-winning New Zealand author."-Booklist (starred)
"Chidgey satisfies and horrifies in equal measure."-Publishers Weekly
"As satisfying a narrative as Pet is, lingering uncertainty is the source of its real power, enabling it to maintain its hold over the imagination long after the final page has been turned."-Hephzibah Anderson, The Observer
"An excellent meditation on the fallibility of memory, the haunting of the past, and the depth with which childhood impresses upon adulthood. Pet is an accomplished, hugely engaging novel with an impressive ability to compel the reader forward with elegance, verve and style."-Helen Cullen, The Irish Times
"With precision and economy, Chidgey captures the cruelty of pubescents, as well as the casual racism and misogyny of the time….an absorbing page-turner."-Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail
"Outside of New Zealand, Chidgey is not as well known as she should be. One hopes that this chilling tale of childhood vulnerability and violence might change that."-Lucy Scholes, Financial Times
"Damn this book is good. Pet is at once a brilliant coming-of-age thriller and a sharp dissection of racism and misogyny in 1980s [New Zealand]."-Molly Odintz, CrimeReads, "The Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Summer 2023"
"Chidgey's grasp of the slipperiness and self-delusion of memory...is faultless."-...
★ "This dark novel probes the power of deception, betrayal, religion, and childhood in every twist of its mesmerizing plot. Lovers of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Donna Tartt's The Secret History will want to read this compelling novel by an award-winning New Zealand author."-Booklist (starred)
"Chidgey satisfies and horrifies in equal measure."-Publishers Weekly
"As satisfying a narrative as Pet is, lingering uncertainty is the source of its real power, enabling it to maintain its hold over the imagination long after the final page has been turned."-Hephzibah Anderson, The Observer
"An excellent meditation on the fallibility of memory, the haunting of the past, and the depth with which childhood impresses upon adulthood. Pet is an accomplished, hugely engaging novel with an impressive ability to compel the reader forward with elegance, verve and style."-Helen Cullen, The Irish Times
"With precision and economy, Chidgey captures the cruelty of pubescents, as well as the casual racism and misogyny of the time….an absorbing page-turner."-Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail
"Outside of New Zealand, Chidgey is not as well known as she should be. One hopes that this chilling tale of childhood vulnerability and violence might change that."-Lucy Scholes, Financial Times
"Damn this book is good. Pet is at once a brilliant coming-of-age thriller and a sharp dissection of racism and misogyny in 1980s [New Zealand]."-Molly Odintz, CrimeReads, "The Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Summer 2023"
"Chidgey's grasp of the slipperiness and self-delusion of memory...is faultless."-...
Readers Top Reviews
SCKelly J. Prambe
Not many books keep me up late on a work night, but "Pet" did; I simply had to finish it before I could turn in. From the beginning you know that something dark happens, but while some of it seems easy to predict, much more is not. What I found most interesting were certain leitmotifs that became apparent only by the end, adding depth to what in lesser hands could have been a plot-driven potboiler.
JohnSCKelly J. Pr
Wrapped inside of a violent psychological thriller — every kid wants to be the teacher's pet, but the teacher is secretly unhinged — the book actually tells an equally heartbreaking story of the harm that traumatized adults can inflict on children. It's a page-turner, but some of the deadpanned stories of abuse (e.g., kids telling a classmate to unalive herself and the teacher ignores it) stop you in your tracks. This book left me pondering whether society is better or worse now than it was a few decades ago. Thank you to NetGalley and Europa Editions for the eARC.
Alden ParkJohnSCK
I was hooked on this one immediately. I was like trying to hide my phone so I could read this without people noticing. This book really nailed childhood, the lost pen, the eye balls, feeling of mud in your limbs as you panic a little. It is perfection. It also just perfectly illustrates grief. I liked it. Every character is well developed.
KimAlden ParkJohn
This was a wild ride of a book. Even though the reader knows exactly where the plot is going, the actions still seem a bit surprising at times. I won’t lie and say the ending was satisfying, we all saw the frustrating ending coming. But it works here with the rest of the story.
beccaluKimAlden P
I did not want to put this book down and kept reading far after my bedtime! Initially, the story was reminiscent of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, but it quickly evolved into something much more sinister. Chidgey captures the dynamics of pre-adolescent friend drama, loss, and navigating the complications of adult relationships when one is still seen as a child well and balances the narrative’s past and present timelines skillfully. Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!
