What They Say......Best friends in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe share a bond so intense that it borders on the mystical. But before Jon can declare his love for his soul mate, he is kidnapped, his plans for a normal life permanently dashed.
Four years later, Chloe has finally given up hope of ever seeing Jon again. Then, a few months before graduation, Jon reappears. But 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 that 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 suddenly, 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 whodunit worthy of his most outlandish obsessions.
In this dazzling new novel—and with an intense, mesmerizing voice—Caroline Kepnes makes keen and powerful observations about human connection and how love and identity can dangerously blur together.
What I Say.....Who didn't love You or Hidden Bodies? So, so good. An original voice and two fresh reads. So I was beyond excited to get an advance copy of Providence by Caroline Kepnes from Netgalley. I finished it in a weekend.
Jon is a small, nerd like kid, but he is tightly bonded with cute, popular Chloe, who floats between sitting in a shed with Jon and hanging out with the cool kids, straddling the gap easily.
One morning, Jon is kidnapped by a substitute teacher with an obsession with H.P. Lovecraft. Jon reappears from the basement of a mall years later - I do have to admit the nurse in me wondered how a substitute teacher could put a child into a medical coma for years -hint, can't happen. Sometimes being a nurse is a pain when you are supposed to suspend disbelief.
When Jon comes back, he has a power that causes him to leave home and avoid any close human interaction. I don't want to provide any spoilers, but in this area, the book felt very Stephen King, who I love.
Meanwhile, Chloe grows up, reconnects with an old school friend, all while still pining for Jon. And an emotionally detached detective is working to track Jon down to find out why so many people around him die.
I really liked the book, but I found the detective to be a bit of a drag on the story. I didn't have any desire for him to find Jon, and I didn't really understand his obsession or how he made the connections. I also didn't understand how a certain character showed up at the end, but I liked the Pushing Daisies feel of the climax.
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