Recommend-A-Book-Wednesday: Little Stalker By Jennifer Belle

It’s rare that I use two blogs to promote one author even if I’m discussing a different book in each post. In fact I think I’ve only done it only once before. But I recently finished Jennifer Belle’s Little Stalker and it’s stayed with me.  It was such an unexpected book. Each character was unique and quirky, the story was both darkly funny and, at turns, poignant.  The romance is totally off-beat and, well, the whole thing is just fun.  When I first noticed Little Stalker it was stuck in the YA section of a small Barnes & Noble. I can tell you now that was a mistake. It’s not a young adult book. Not even close.

The protagonist,  Rebekah Kettle, is a novelist who is literally years late turning in her second book. All that time not-writing gives her plenty of time to nurse her obsession with filmmaker, Author Weeman (a fictionalized Woody Allen).  Now if she was obsessed with Ryan Reynolds or Dwayne Johnson we’d all understand where she was coming from immediately even if we didn’t agree or approve. But a Woody Allen type character? What woman in her early thirties is obsessed with Woody Allen these days? But as we follow the story we realize that her obsession started during the most difficult year of her life. A year when she had sex at 12 and got pregnant. That same year her parents got divorced. Everything in her life changed; she lost her innocence and the world became much more frightening and isolating. It was in that year that Author Weeman came out with a film that she related to. She decided right then and there that this  filmmaker understood her at a time when no one else did. So now when the adult Rebekah discovers where Author Weeman lives she starts sending him fan mail. She decides that adults who write fan-mail are pathetic so she writes the letters pretending to be twelve years old...the 12 year old girl she once was before everything fell apart. Of course Author Weeman is no saint and isn’t exactly worthy of adulation but we follow Rebekah as she comes to terms with that and delves into some of her own issues through the writing of these letters. Simultaneously she has to deal with the discovery of certain family secrets and a strained relationship with her father and the peculiar new man in her life.

Belle has a way of framing things that is incredibly compelling. For instance the protagonist at one point recalls how, in middle school, she wrote a timeline for the life of Paul Revere, marking his entry into college, his first marriage, the birth of his first child, his wild ride and so forth. She then wonders what her timeline would be. What events would be included and why.  This ends up being the motif of the novel and I couldn’t help wondering...what is my timeline? How would that be written?

It irked me to no end to see that certain professional critics blasted this novel for being just another predictable chick lit book in the field of many.  After reading Little Stalker I’m not even sure I understand the criticism. Is it predictable chick lit because she deals with family and relationship issues? If that’s the case are John Le Carre’s books predictable spy novels because they deal with espionage? Yes, Jennifer Belle writes about themes that frequently pop up in commercial women’s fiction (and to be honest I can’t think of a single theme that HASN’T been explored in some genre of fiction) but Belle’s handles those themes is an entirely original way.  I strongly recommend this book. You’ll be laughing half way into the first page and even if you don’t agree with Rebekah’s take on things or her decisions they will get you thinking. That much I can pretty much guarantee.

As always, list your own book suggestions in the comment section. If I fall in love with something you have fallen in love with as well there’s a good chance you’ll eventually see it here on Recommend-A-Book-Wednesday.

Kyra Davis

Bestselling Author of:

The Sophie Katz Mystery Series
and
So Much For My Happy Ending
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