Imaginary Friend: The new novel from the author of The Perks Of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

'Astonishing ... Genius ... A masterpiece'
EMMA WATSON

'Haunting and thrilling'
JOHN GREEN, author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

* * * * *

IMAGINE...
Leaving your house in the middle of the night.
Knowing your mother is doing her best, but she's just as scared as you.

IMAGINE...
Starting a new school, making friends.
Seeing how happy it makes your mother.
Hearing a voice, calling out to you.

IMAGINE...
Following the signs, into the woods.
Going missing for six days.
Remembering nothing about what happened.

IMAGINE...
Something that will change everything...
And having to save everyone you love.

* * * * *

'Unputdownable ... You'll fall in love with these characters. That's why they stay with you, like a haunting.'
R. J. PALACIO, author of WONDER

'An extraordinary book. The pages practically turn themselves.'
GREER HENDRICKS & SARAH PEKKANEN, authors of THE WIFE BETWEEN US

'A fearsome, remarkably ambitious novel that breaks through the boundaries of the genre to become epic - in all the best senses of the word."
LINCOLN CHILD, #1 New York Times bestseller

'A simply extraordinary reading experience. Utterly unique. A tremendous read, every bit worth the wait.'
BLAKE CROUCH, author of DARK MATTER

• ISBN10: 1409184803
• ISBN13: 9781409184805
• Publish Date: 1 October 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 7 January 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
• Imprint: Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 720
• Language: English

Reviews

[Marissa Lupe Author]

Woah.. closing the last page of this book #imaginaryfriend published by @grandcentralpub left me with a shiver crawling up my arms. Gloriously terrifying and PERFECT for a scary October read. I very much enjoyed how #stephenchbosky really developed the characters and gave them life, which often times is neglected in horror/thriller novels. I also appreciated how he keep it scary and gory without becoming grotesque. Once that line is crossed a story becomes less thrilling and just disgusting. Mr. Chbosky balanced his writing perfectly and left me wanting more!!
P.S. I'll never look at a treehouse the same way!

[Katie King]

I loved it, it dragged, it got weird, I just wanted it to end.

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available to purchase on October first.

As soon as I started this book, I was presented with a problem: Do I read it as quickly as possible to see what happens next? Or do I drag it out as long as I can, enjoying Stephen Chobsky’s fantastic writing? I’m sure you, reader, have been in this position before. Ultimately, the choice was made for me; I couldn’t put this book down.

I’ll start with the characters. They were wonderfully three-dimensional, every one of them. Christopher was such a sweet little boy and I absolutely loved his mom. She was a fighter in every sense of the word. With the many characters this book had, the fact that they were all well developed and had distinct personalities was impressive, to say the least.

In this book, Christopher goes missing for several days. He shows up again, thanks to “the nice man”, whom no-one else has seen. He’s not the same, though. He has a friend that no one else can see. Thanks to this friendship, Christopher learns that he has a very important job that only he can complete. If he doesn’t finish by Christmas, all hell will break loose.

Normally at this point in a horror review, an excellent writer will be called “the next Stephen King”, or some such thing. I can’t do that, though. Chobsky’s writing is so unique that there’s no comparing it to anyone else. His book was very cerebral. To be honest, it got under my skin. He has a knack for knowing exactly what wigs me out. There are layers upon layers in this book, and it kept me fascinated from start to finish.

I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say this: this is a horror book and some people do horrific things. There might be things that would trigger some, so be aware of that as you read. Normally, some of the things touched upon would really bother me, but it was written in a way that I was able to handle.

For those who haven’t recognized the name, Stephen Chobsky is the author of the absolutely incredible The Perks of Being a Wallflower (if you haven’t read it yet, you really need to rectify that problem. I’ll wait). The fact that he is able to write such disparate genres speaks highly of his ability to weave a tale. He also somehow managed to make me tear up at parts, then scare the living daylights out of me a chapter later. He is a master in his craft.

Read this book.