My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent

I’m going to start this blog by saying I read A LOT of books, so I don’t say it lightly when I tell someone that a book is one of, if not the best, books I’ve read this year.

Therefore, you can trust me when I say that My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent is an extraordinary book, and most certainly falls into that category.

My Absolute Darling is one of those books that you run out of superlatives for when you try and describe it, so I’m not going to bother trying to use my limited language skills to do it justice because I really can’t. It’s a debut novel that has it all - from it’s shocking opening to its masterful prose, and vivid characters, it’s a book that will grip and unsettle you to no end.

The book is being published at the end of August, and I’m told I was the very first person to read the novel outside of the publishing house (Fourth Estate). Well, as soon as I did I knew this was something special and David Headley, who was by now reading it too, thought the same. We completely agreed that this book was going to go on to big things, and that it was absolutely sensational. It had to be a Book of the Month choice here at Goldsboro. We picked it immediately as our September choice and we’re thrilled to be having an exclusive signed and numbered limited edition of 750 copies, with sprayed edges and an exclusive bookmark.

If you don’t have this book pre-ordered or on your radar, I’d urge you to change that. Search online and the discussions of its brilliance have already begun. Everyone is going to be talking about this book. And if you don’t believe me, then believe Stephen King, as he’s also quite the fan and writes far better than I do…

‘There are books we like well enough to recommend, but there are a very few – To Kill a Mockingbird, Catch-22, The Things They Carried – that we remember forever. To my own shortlist I can now add My Absolute Darling, by Gabriel Tallent. Fourteen-year-old Turtle Alveston is a brilliantly rendered creation, and her father is the most terrifyingly believable human monster to inhabit the pages of a novel since Harry Powell in The Night of the Hunter. This book is ugly, beautiful, horrifying, and uplifting. The word “masterpiece” has been cheapened by too many blurbs, but My Absolute Darling absolutely is one’

Harry

@harryillers

Order our exclusive limited edition of My Absolute Darling here

Back to blog
  • 9 Crime & Thrillers Books You Simply Must Read

    9 Crime & Thrillers Books You Simply Must Read

    If you’re a fan of crime fiction, then you’ve likely heard of Capital Crime, London’s largest festival of crime and thriller. Ahead of revealing their exciting 2025 headliners, we sat...

    9 Crime & Thrillers Books You Simply Must Read

    If you’re a fan of crime fiction, then you’ve likely heard of Capital Crime, London’s largest festival of crime and thriller. Ahead of revealing their exciting 2025 headliners, we sat...

  • An Interview with Deon Meyer

    An Interview with Deon Meyer

    We recently had the joy of hosting Deon Meyer as he signed copies of Leo, this is the thrilling new novel from the author of major Netflix series Heart of...

    An Interview with Deon Meyer

    We recently had the joy of hosting Deon Meyer as he signed copies of Leo, this is the thrilling new novel from the author of major Netflix series Heart of...

  • Bookseller Recommendations: Brighton Bookseller - Ellen

    Bookseller Recommendations: Brighton Bookseller...

    We're back with more bookseller recommendations! Today, Brighton bookseller, Ellen, takes us through some of her favourite recent reads, and some new and upcoming releases she is looking forward to! ...

    Bookseller Recommendations: Brighton Bookseller...

    We're back with more bookseller recommendations! Today, Brighton bookseller, Ellen, takes us through some of her favourite recent reads, and some new and upcoming releases she is looking forward to! ...

  • The October Must-Reads: Bookseller Top Picks

    The October Must-Reads: Bookseller Top Picks

    As the leaves turn and the evenings draw in, there’s nothing quite like settling down with a brilliant new book to escape into.  With so many incredible titles being released...

    The October Must-Reads: Bookseller Top Picks

    As the leaves turn and the evenings draw in, there’s nothing quite like settling down with a brilliant new book to escape into.  With so many incredible titles being released...

1 of 4