Furious Violet - by Sarai Walker (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the author of the bestselling phenomenon Dietland comes a razor-sharp, subversive thriller about motherhood, obsession, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

Violet "West" Shelley has unwillingly spent her life in the spotlight as the only daughter of a legendary poet and feminist icon who died tragically young. Now, as the self-described "lowbrow" crime journalist approaches fifty--burned out, creatively blocked, and far older than her mother ever was--she retreats to her hometown in the Colorado mountains hometown to finish a long-overdue book about the "Crying Killer," a notorious serial killer who sobs for his mother after committing his crimes.

But what begins as a bid for solitude quickly spirals into something far more sinister. A stalker emerges--mysterious, relentless, with accusations disturbingly intimate: this invisible stranger insists that West is their long-lost mother, though West has never had children. As the threats escalate and her carefully defended privacy starts to shatter, West is drawn into a chilling psychological web where the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to collapse.

Is she being watched? Hunted? Or is her own mind turning against her?

Gripping, provocative, and laced with pitch-black humor, Furious Violet is a psychological thrill ride and a fierce exploration of mothers (real and imagined), fame, and the question of who can lay claim to women's bodies of work--and their bodies themselves. Once again, Sarai Walker has delivered a subversively brilliant heroine unlike any other: damaged, defiant, and utterly unforgettable.

Review Quotes

"Furious Violet is for every woman of a certain age who is called difficult for demanding more from the world than men are willing to give. It is for every girl rereading The Bell Jar because it told her a secret about herself. It is for all of us stopping up our ears with true crime podcasts to silence the twenty-four hour news cycle. Sarai Walker's third novel is as engaging and darkly funny as her first two. From the visceral opening pages, to the surprising and thrilling conclusion, this novel will earn a place on the top of your reading pile, and then into a dear friend's hands because great stories are meant to be shared." - Courtney Miller Santo, author of Three Story House

"A detective story about detective stories--and motherhood, non-motherhood, and literary legacy--Furious Violet is an impeccably plotted, Hitchcock-by-way-of-Plath novel that barrels toward its thrilling conclusion with equal parts suspense and intellect."

- Teddy Wayne, author of The Au Pair and The Winner

"Furious Violet is a sharp, psychological mystery that builds tension from the beginning and sustains it throughout. At its center is Violet West, a journalist living in the shadow of her late mother, the celebrated poet Juliet Bellwood, whose legacy continues to shape and complicate her life. As the pressure surrounding that legacy intensifies, Violet is drawn into a deeply personal and increasingly disturbing situation that forces her to confront lingering questions about her mother's life and death. It is a tense, absorbing read that lingers well after the final page." - Julia Cowley, retired FBI agent and profiler, and host of The Consult podcast

"Just try not to read Furious Violet at a furious speed. Once Violet 'West' Shelley, our true-crime-writer-turned-detective, is on the case of her mystery stalker, you won't be able to hit the brakes. With a wry takedown of academic fanaticism, a complex investigation of motherhood, and one twist after another, Sarai Walker has written a fierce, feminist novel that can only be consumed furiously."

- Eric Schlich, author of Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife

"Walker triumphs with this sophisticated thriller... With much more on its mind than the average psychological thriller, this spellbinding descent into madness teems with insight about the complexities of motherhood. It's a knockout." - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Walker delivers a gripping detective story featuring the unforgettable Violet, a darkly funny, opinionated, and introspective heroine who knows her way around the world of true crime and can call on a quirky crew of uniquely skilled friends to help--but only time will tell if will it be enough to save her life." - Booklist (Starred Review)