Man's Best Friend - by Alana B Lytle (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Ever since her year as a scholarship student among the ultra-wealthy at a Manhattan private school, El knows what it is like to feel rich-to feel chosen. And being not chosen is her current living nightmare: at age thirty, she has given up her dream of becoming a famous actress, she has no passions, no great love, nothing to look forward to. Then El meets a mysterious trust-fund Cambridge grad who holds the keys to the world she has long dreamed of. Bryce may not be particularly good-looking, charming, or interesting, but he has chosen her. El allows herself to be lulled by the ease and safety that his wealth provides, becoming Bryce's little pet, and giving up her job, friends, and apartment in short order. But when a series of disturbing and slightly surreal events reveal that Bryce is not quite what he seems, but something entirely more sinister, El must face the consequences when his darkness-and her own-are unleashed"--

Book Synopsis

A failed actress must decide how much she will give up--and what lies she will overlook--in order to live a life of luxury, in this irresistibly suspenseful and slightly surreal debut that is The Talented Mr. Ripley meets Nightbitch.

Ever since her year as a scholarship student among the ultra-wealthy at a Manhattan private school, El knows what it is like to feel rich--to feel chosen. And being not chosen is her current living nightmare: at age thirty, she has given up her dream of becoming a famous actress, she has no passions, no great love, nothing to look forward to.

Then El meets a mysterious trust-fund Cambridge grad who holds the keys to the world she has long dreamed of. Bryce may not be particularly good-looking, charming, or interesting, but he has chosen her. El allows herself to be lulled by the ease and safety that his wealth provides, becoming Bryce's little pet, and giving up her job, friends, and apartment in short order. But when a series of disturbing and slightly surreal events reveal that Bryce is not quite what he seems, but something entirely more sinister, El must face the consequences when his darkness--and her own--are unleashed.

Review Quotes

"This is what a debut novel should be. Entertaining. Brilliant. Sharp. Incisive. Man's Best Friend is a tantalizing twist on the rags-to-riches narrative. In El, Alana B Lytle crafts an original caustic heroine whose own personal game of have's and have-not's exposes the dark underbelly of high society, pushing us to question the very nature of luxury--and how far we'd be willing to go to get it. Alana B. Lytle is an author we'll be reading for years to come." -Stephen Chbosky, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Imaginary Friend

"[Lytle] is deft at creating a tense atmosphere--complete with suspicious characters, sinister motivations, disturbing events, and an off-kilter narrator--that will keep readers turning the pages." -Kirkus Reviews

"Man's Best Friend is a discomfiting, elegant slow-burn that's deliciously feral. It's a wild ride to watch the novel's 20-something protagonist, El, find herself in the most unlikely of places. Fans of fiction featuring morally dubious characters, fractious female relationships, and unsettling love interests will love this darkly beautiful debut from Alana B. Lytle." -Chelsea G. Summers, author of A Certain Hunger

"Alana Biden Lytle has written a pulse-pounding novel that simmers with growing dread. A juicy indictment of the allure of wealth, power, and privilege." -Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession

"[A] thrilling slow burn sprinkled with bewildering oddities that readers won't quite be able to put their fingers on until the end.... This is a gripping novel that will leave readers questioning their own moral compass." -Booklist

"Lytle, who has written for Netflix and Peacock, uses her screenwriting skills to map out a debut novel that could double as a television series.... It will appeal to readers who enjoyed Emma Cline's The Guest." -Library Journal

"A chilling debut... Lytle writes compellingly about this decadent world and the costs of belonging." -CrimeReads

"Dark and thought-provoking, Man's Best Friend is a book for anyone who understands that it's okay to not always be a good girl, and that sometimes just asking for more isn't enough." -Criminal Element

About the Author

Alana B. Lytle is a screenwriter whose recent credits include Netflix's Brand New Cherry and Peacock's A Friend of the Family. Her short fiction has been published in Guernica. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and sausage-shaped dog. Man's Best Friend is her debut novel.