Sometimes you're reading a book about a person who is stalking their neighbor and you think, huh. That's a little creepy. And then it might keep you up at night wondering if you've locked the doors. And then you double check on the whereabouts of your pet. And you realize you should not read scary books before bed. This is not a healthy way to live!
Yet that's exactly what happened to me while I was reading Looker by Laura Sims. I was a nervous wreck reading this book but I could not put it down. The main character is a beautiful, smart, successful woman who careens over the edge after a series of events that spiral out of control after years of fertility struggles. As her life falls apart she focuses on her neighbor, a famous actress, who has three children. It starts with admiring the actress and her family and being a friendly neighbor. Simple enough. It's a lovely neighborhood and they have block parties with bounce houses and delicious orzo watermelon salad with feta (this stayed with me because I would love to eat that, wouldn't you?). And then. Death and destruction.
I suspected where the "looking" or stalking was headed and needed to see how it played out. The main character was a decent person that bad things happened to. Who among us is not one tragedy away from disaster? How you deal with it makes the difference. In this case, it was terrifying and sad. And a super chilling read.
P.S. I have the nicest neighbors and am very grateful for them.