Providence: A Novel
"Part love story, part supernatural thriller and completely engrossing" (People)--from the acclaimed author of You, now a hit Netflix series
IN DEVELOPMENT AS A PEACOCK ORIGINAL SERIES FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS OF YOU
"A dark beauty of a book, Providence kept me up at night with characters that made my heart a little bigger."--Jessica Knoll, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive
Best friends in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe share an intense, near-mystical bond. But before Jon can declare his love for his soul mate, he is kidnapped, and his plans for a normal life are permanently dashed. Four years later, Jon reappears. He is different now: bigger, stronger, and with no memory of the time he was gone. Jon wants to pick up where he and Chloe left off--until the horrifying instant he realizes he possesses strange powers that pose a grave threat to everyone he cares for. Afraid of hurting Chloe, Jon runs away, embarking on a journey for answers.
Meanwhile, in Providence, Rhode Island, healthy college students and townies with no connection to one another are inexplicably dropping dead. A troubled detective prone to unexplainable hunches, Charles "Eggs" DeBenedictus suspects there's a serial killer at work. But when he starts asking questions, Eggs is plunged into a shocking whodunit he never could have predicted.
With an intense, mesmerizing voice, Caroline Kepnes makes keen and powerful observations about human connection and how love and identity can dangerously blur together.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE
"Providence is a novel that doesn't fit into one box--it's tender and dark, eerie and cool, heartbreaking but also an affirmation of the power of love. Kepnes perfectly captures each character's struggle and pain in such a unique, unconventional way that every page--every sentence--is a delightful surprise."--Sara Shepard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars
"Caroline Kepnes is cool right this minute. . . . [Providence is] terrifically conceived and executed. . . . Kepnes has an exhilarating, poppy, unexpected voice."--The New York Times Book Review
"An addictive horror-tinged romance that'll keep you guessing."--Entertainment Weekly
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Community Reviews
When the story opens, Jon and Chloe are growing up in a small New Hampshire town, Chloe is beautiful and popular. Jon is a bit of a nerd who gets bullied at school. But the unlikely twosome are the best of friends.
One morning Jon takes a remote route to school in order to avoid being confronted by a group of bullies led by the most popular boy at school. But he never arrives at school. He vanishes and the desperate search for him is futile. Eventually, Chloe gives up hope that Jon will be found, and carries on with her life. Her popularity at school does not wane, especially since she ends up dating the very boy who taunted Jon.
Four years after he disappeared, Jon awakens. He has no memory of those years and has physically transformed. He has grown and is strong. His abductor is gone, but left him a cryptic note. And Jon realizes that he is not far from home.
When he returns, his parents are elated, of course, and he desperately wants to renew his relationship with Chloe. But he is horrified to learn that in the time he has been away he has developed a mysterious power to bring harm to others. And those he loves are not immune. He cannot control that power or alter its outcome so he dares not be near Chloe.
Living in self-imposed exile in Rhode Island, Jon supports himself by delivering papers and performing other work that doesn't require him to interact with others he cares about. He tries to get close to someone new . . . with disastrous results.
Jon decides to put his power to use delivering justice to those who deserve it which brings him to the attention of Detective Charles “Eggs” DeBenedictus. Eggs is a dedicated investigator who tends to get himself into hot water with his superiors because of his determination to follow up on clues that don't seem relevant to his fellow officers. He thinks he is on the trail of a serial killer, but the profile doesn't quit fit. Meanwhile, Eggs has a troubled home life. His wife wants him to take care of himself by undergoing his annual physical examination. She also wants him to accompany her to visit their severely autistic son who resides in a care facility. Eggs avoids doing either one as he becomes increasingly obsessed with the case.
Meanwhile, Chloe becomes a successful artist who specializes in painting the eyes of the boy who still haunts her. She plans to marry her high school boyfriend, moving into his luxurious apartment with him. But she can't forget Jon, especially since he occasionally is unable to resist the urge to communicate with her.
Providence is an inventively unique story about a bond between two people that defies description and all attempts to sever it. It is a tale about a young man who loses four years of his life through no fault of his own and, upon learning that he has acquired a power he neither wants nor can control, just wants to resume leading a normal life. It is an exploration of the impact Jon's transformation has upon everyone he loves -- even though they don't know about the strange power he possesses. Kepnes has woven a nuanced, complex story about loyalty, trusting one's instincts about another person's spirit, and the lengths to which we are willing to go in order to maintain relationships that bring meaning to our lives and make us feel better about ourselves. It is an entertaining and heart-breaking story that readers will ponder long after reading the last page.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
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