With its unconventional heroine and unflinching portrayal of an abused girl's fight to save herself, My Absolute Darling seems poised to become the breakout debut of the year. -The New York Times

My Absolute Darling is Gabriel Tallent's first novel, and no less than Stephen King has called it a masterpiece to rank with To Kill A Mockingbird and Catch-22. -NPR

Our generation's next beloved literary heroine....this is one of the most important books you'll pick up this decade. -Harper's Bazaar

My Absolute Darling is a novel that readers will gulp down, gasping...Tallent [is a] prodigiously talented new writer. -The Washington Post

A gripping introduction to a seriously brave little girl... My Absolute Darling is an affecting read but also an important one. -USA Today

Impressively, this is...a novel of great beauty, filled with lush evocations of the woods. -Wall Street Journal

A searing story of abuse and damaged people, but also about resilience, strength and survival. Much recommended. -Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times

A gripping read, written in beautiful, brutal prose ... My Absolute Darling is a Great American Novel for the increasingly isolationist, fractionalised and disenchanted contemporary era. -Financial Times

A stunningly poetic psychological thriller. -O, The Oprah Magazine

There's no shortage of things to admire in My Absolute Darling -it's a devastating and powerful debut from a writer who's almost certain to have a wonderful career ahead of him. -NPR.org

An unputdownable coming-of-age novel. -Entertainment Weekly

The best drop-everything debut...if you loved To Kill A Mockingbird's Scout Finch, you'll be into Turtle Alveston. -Glamour

A brilliant and haunting debut. -People

Lush and vivid. You'll read it with your stomach in your shoes, rooting for [Turtle] the whole time. -Marie Claire

[An] engrossing read. -InStyle

Captures a compelling young heroine. -Vanity Fair

A major American debut that incorporates psychological realism of the highest order, juxtaposed with nature writing that at times is so lyrical, you might as well be reading poetry. -The Houston Chronicle

Stunning ... contemplative and heart-wrenching. -Los Angeles Review of Books

Extraordinarily unsettling and ambitious...an amazing debut. -The San Francisco Chronicle

Brilliant and terrifying, told in expansive, wild and bold prose...Reading this book is like watching an electrical storm, both beautiful and dangerous. -The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

[A] glaring, gorgeous book... My Absolute Darling sounds primal alarms with an urgent contemporary voice. -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Beautifully written and emotionally gripping... My Absolute Darling is a strange hybrid of a book, part gorgeous nature writing, part psychologically astute family drama. -Tampa Bay Times

Explosive...There are many elements of this story we would rather not believe - all so convincingly rendered that we can't help but believe them. -The Boston Globe

With its excellent prose and fast-paced plot, it is a spirited debut. -Dallas News

My Absolute Darling is an absolute triumph. -The National

Loved every minute. -Newsday

The year's must-read novel...Tallent in this debut makes an old story - the drama of coming of age - feel original and full of youthful power. -The Times (London)

An incandescent novel with an extraordinary, unforgettable heroine, both deeply contemplative and utterly thrilling. -The Guardian

Ferocious, heart-breaking ...Tallent combines gorgeous passages about the wilderness Turtle knows well and a steady beat of dramatic tension in this smashing debut. -BBC

[A] gripping, vivid debut...Readers will root for Turtle as she sets out to escape and be absorbed by Tallent's stunning descriptions of nature. -RealSimple

The cinematic pace of My Absolute Darling will have you physically reacting...as you barrel to the