Gabriel Tallent té 30 anys. My Absolute Darling és la seva primera novel·la i, segons el New York Times serà el millor llibre de lany. La protagonista del llibre és una noia de 14 anys, Turtle Alveston, víctima dabusos sexuals per part del seu pare. La història té lloc a la Califòrnia septentrional: una regió humida i fosca, boscos que amaguen monstruositats psicològiques, violència i claustrofòbia. La relació entre el pare carismàtic i la seva filla, salvatge i intrèpida, és morbosa i secreta fins que la noia senamora dun company de classe: un noi normal i sa. En aquest moment, Turtle sadona de la seva situació insostenible i intenta rebel·lar-se i escapar, utilitzant les mateixes eines que el seu pare li havia ensenyat a fer servir durant la seva infantesa: disparar amb una pistola i sobreviure al bosc durant dies i dies.
At 14, Turtle Alveston knows the use of every gun on her wall. She knows how to snare a rabbit, sharpen a blade and splint a bone. She knows that her daddy loves her more than anything else in this world and he'll do whatever it takes to keep her with him.
But she doesn't know why she feels so different from the other girls at school; why the line between love and pain can be so hard to see. Or why making a friend may be the bravest and most terrifying thing she has ever done.
Sometimes the people you're supposed to trust are the ones who do most harm. And what you've been taught to fear is the very thing that will save you ...
'This book has challenged me like no other. It's a masterpiece. A work of art on a page. I guarantee this book will take your breath away' Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep
'Brutal yet beautiful, My Absolute Darling has floored me. Dear Turtle, a heroine amidst the horror. Exceptional, unflinching storytelling' Ali Land , author of Good Me Bad Me
'An incandescent novel with an extraordinary, unforgettable heroine, both deeply contemplative and utterly thrilling' Observer - Thriller of the month
'There are echoes of Ma's bravery in Emma Donoghue's Room, or the resilience of Cormac McCarthy's protagonists as they struggle to stay alive. Tallent's world is shocking in the truest sense of the word' Irish Times
'An utterly fantastic read. Every page is brimming with energy. And Turtle Alveston is as enthralling a character as I've encountered in a good long while' Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds
