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

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

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

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

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)

The magnificent, inhospitable landscape of northern California is itself a character here...a fast-paced adventure story...[a] strange and remarkable book. - 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 end of this incredibly redemptive, satisfying book. - goop

Easily one of my favorite debut novels of the past decade. -LitHub

To read [ My Absolute Darling ] is to become an evangelist for it. - The Millions

Philosophical but without pretense, the novel proves a fascinating examination of personal strength... by allowing Turtle to define her own reality. - Paste

Cathartic and spine-tingling as hell. - Vox

Turtle is the strong, resilient heroine we didn't know we needed, and you'll fall head over heels in love with My Absolute Darling . -HelloGiggles

A fearless adventure tale that's as savvy about internal emotional storms as it is about wrangling with family and nature... A powerful, well-turned story about abuse, its consequences, and what it takes to survive it. - Kirkus , starred review

Lucidly written, both heartbreaking and heartfelt, this book is ultimately affirmative without the slightest sentim