Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Stranger Game by Peter Gadol. It's a dark psychological thriller, an intense and captivating innovative read.
Peter Gadol is the author of seven novels including The Stranger ame, Silver Lake, Light at Dusk, and The Long Rain. His work has been translated for foreign editions and appeared in literary journals, including StoryQuarterly, the Los Angeles Review of Books Quarterly Journal, and Tin House. Gadol lives in Los Angeles, where he is Chair and Professor of the MFA Writing program at Otis College of Art and Design.
Follow @PeterGadol on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads,Visit petergadol.com
Buy The Stranger Game
Rebecca's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Ezra, has gone missing, but when she notifies the police, they seem surprisingly unconcerned. They suspect he has been playing the 'stranger game,' a viral hit in which players start following others in real life, as they might otherwise do on social media.
But as the game spreads, the rules begin to change, and disappearances are reported across the country.
Curious about this popular new obsession, and hoping that she might track down Ezra, Rebecca tries the game for herself. She also meets Carey, who is willing to take the game further than she imagined possible. In playing the stranger game, what leads Rachel closer to finding Era will take her further and further from the life she once lived..
Gadol will probably need to take responsibility if this actually does become a 'thing' somewhere. If some readers decide this might be an excellent game to play. Or is this already a thing? I hope not.
After this read I know I will be looking at everyone with a different set of eyes. Is that car following me? Is the woman in the shop picking cat food or just pretending to pick cat food in an attempt to convince the person she is following that she isn't following them. Yeh, that's a lot of paranoia to feel guilty about Gadol.
Rebecca's life becomes fractured when her long-term best friend sometimes boyfriend just disappears one day. She becomes obsessed with an essay he leaves behind about the Stranger Game, which is an oddly obsessive game about stalking complete strangers.
As her life slowly but surely goes off the rails and Rebecca becomes more involved in the game she loses sight of reality, and with that step also disregards the danger she finds herself in. The fact she is just one of many playing the game floats in the back of her mind, until she comprehends that it also means she is a target. Who is watching her, while she is busy watching others who in turn are watching their own targets? I told you it was messed up stuff that is bound to make anyone paranoid.
The author wades into the dark area of society, wealth and the loneliness that exists between us, despite living in an era of prosperity, diversity and understanding. This plot plays on the theme of loneliness and the way it can define, distort and destroy lives. You can be surrounded by people and still be completely alone. Have a successful career and social life and yet still go home to your house and feel as if you're the only person on the planet. Feel as if no one cares whether you exist or not. Even if you have a partner or family.
Would this feeling propel you towards a game that guarantees excitement, danger and instant gratification? Even if it means crossing boundaries and committing crimes. In a way this storyline plays right into the fact that our society is willing to do anything to get their kicks. Nothing is too extreme or bizarre.
It's a dark psychological thriller, an intense and captivating innovative read.
Buy The Stranger Game at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher HQ; pub date 5th September 2019. Paperback £8.99 - available in eBook and Audio Download. Buy at Amazon com.
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