PROVIDENCE by Caroline Kepnes

Providence by Caroline Kepnes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my first Caroline Kepnes book, and it won't be my last. Luckily, I already have You and Hidden Bodies on my bookshelf.

Wow. Where do I start with this story?

Jon is a strange boy because he likes stuff and doesn't hide it. He cares too much, he's kind, and only has eyes for Chloe. His only friend. Chloe likes hanging out with Jon. She loves his peculiar ways even though she also hates that he doesn't hide them, because it makes him a target. Carrig is a bully. He likes to make life hell for Jon, and wants Chloe.

All of these factors culminate in Jon being taken. He vanishes because he took the woods-way to school to avoid being bullied. During his absence, Chloe becomes obsessed with finding him and instead finds art. She also gets on with her life and becomes a real teenage girl for a while.

Until Jon reappears four years later. But things aren't the same. Jon makes people queasy, makes them pass out, and then he does more than that...

Providence is a hard book to describe or summarise beyond this point. It's just so unique and weird--in the best possible way. It can't be defined by one genre, either. It's a heartbreaking love story. It's got a good dose of pseudo-SF elements. It's a mystery. A suspense that sucked me in right away. But mostly, it's an addictive book that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until you get to the last page.

I enjoyed every amazing moment!

The story is told in the POVs of Jon and Chloe, as well as a cop. Jon's desperate fight to remember what happened while he was gone, why someone would change him, and how to get back to Chloe dominates his story. Chloe is trying to find her lost friend, and in the process becomes a successful artist. She also realises that somewhere along the way she's fallen in love with a man who can't be reached.

Then there's Eggs. He's a cop going through some serious health problems. He has a great marriage, loves the woman he married, but when he gets sucked into the random heart attack deaths of so many young people, he risks it all. Oh, and there's also the problem with their child, which he (unfortunately) chooses to ignore and lets his wife deal with alone.

Their love story is everything the other couple will never be.

Yeah, this book is full of sad stuff. There's plenty of heartbreak. Even Jon's parents suffer immensely because he has no other choice but to hide away from the world. He's dangerous and suffers so much because of something some cruel asshole did. *cries*

Seriously, this is a book that no review can ever do justice. It's not just something you read, it's an actual experience and I strongly recommend everyone reads it. All the hype is real, everyone who loves it is right.

The last thing I'll say is how much I loved all of the ideas packed into this story, and the way the excellent writing style carries them through.

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