Liar, Dreamer, Thief
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4.3 • 6 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A young woman’s carefully constructed fantasy world implodes in this brilliantly conceived novel that blurs distinctions between right and wrong, comedy and tragedy, imagination and reality: "Surreal . . . filled with technicolor lies and terrible truths" (Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling and Hugo‑award winning author).
Most Anticipated by CrimeReads · Good Housekeeping · BookRiot · Goodreads · Bookish · OverDrive
Aardvark Book Club pick · Good Housekeeping Must-Read Book of 2023
Katrina Kim may be broke, the black sheep of her family, and slightly unhinged, but she isn’t a stalker. Her obsession with her co-worker, Kurt, is just one of many coping mechanisms—like her constant shape and number rituals, or the way scenes from her favorite children’s book bleed into her vision whenever she feels anxious or stressed.
But when Katrina finds a cryptic message from Kurt that implies he’s aware of her surveillance, her tenuous hold on a normal life crumbles. Driven by compulsion, she enacts the most powerful ritual she has to reclaim control—a midnight visit to the Cayatoga Bridge—and arrives just in time to witness Kurt’s suicide. Before he jumps, he slams her with a devastating accusation: his death is all her fault.
Horrified, Katrina combs through the clues she’s collected about Kurt over the last three years, but each revelation uncovers a menacing truth: for every moment she was watching him, he was watching her. And the past she thought she’d left behind? It’s been following her more closely than she ever could have imagined.
A gripping page-turner, as well as a sensitive exploration of mental health, Liar, Dreamer, Thief is an intimate portrayal of life in all its complexities—and the dangers inherent in unveiling people’s most closely guarded secrets.
Includes a Reading Group Guide.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Broke and estranged from her Korean family, Katrina Kim, the narrator of Dong's mesmerizing debut, works a dead-end job at a soulless Illinois hospital billing firm. Her deepening reliance on OCD behaviors and her fear that the magical kingdom of a childhood book is becoming real throw her life into chaos, as does her obsession with her more successful colleague, Kurt Smith. Though Katrina and Kurt have barely spoken, the books and music she discovers searching his desk convince her that they're kindred souls. One day, she finds a postcard with a threatening message in his desk drawer. Terrified it's directed at her, she drives at midnight to the bridge she regularly visits, to perform the most potent of her self-soothing rituals. Then Kurt shows up, shouts some words of blame, and jumps to his death. Katrina is horrified and baffled. How does he know of Katrina's visits to the bridge? Was he surveilling her even as she surveilled him—and who is he really? Katrina's search for answers reveals secrets all around her. This nuanced depiction of a woman's struggles with isolation and mental health rings entirely true. Fans of sharp, inventive fiction will be eager for Dong's next.
Customer Reviews
Strange
I only rated 3-stars, because I didn’t finish it. I only got through “The First Stellation” (through Ch. 4). The writing is good, just a very strange book. If you are struggling at all mentally, this book will definitely make you feel better about yourself.