A Novel Obsession

A Novel Obsession
by Caitlin Barasch

Publication: March 15, 2022
Materail: 270 manuscript pages
Rights Sold: US (Dutton), Russia (Eksmo), Portugal (Clube do Autor)

A Good Morning America Buzz Pick

An irresistible debut about obsession, art, and the cost of both.

A Novel Obsession is narrated by Naomi, an aspiring young writer cultivating an obsession with Rosemary, her boyfriend's ex. Using social media as well as their shared love of books, Naomi inserts herself into Rosemarys life under false pretensesand even cultivates a friendship with her. As their relationship develops, Naomi is determined, at all costs, to write a book about it. Through a series of increasingly murky deceptions, Naomi manipulates the most important people in her lifeher boyfriend, family, friends, Rosemary, and, perhaps most devastatingly, herselfin a search for validation and fulfillment.
As Naomi pursues a plot for her novel, the lines between literature and life begin to blur until the two collide.

Barasch has created an unforgettable and fresh millennial story filled with heartache and humor about how we build stories and construct relationships. Unflinching and honest, A Novel Obsession will linger long after you finish the final pages.

Praise -----------------------------------------------------------------

'This book is a ride. An unruly study of fixation, performance, and the exquisite agony of anonymity.' -Raven Leilani, New York Times bestselling author of Luster

'Caitlin Baraschs writing overflows with humor, compassion, intrigue, the chaos of identity. It overflows with life, itself.' -Jonathan Safran Foer

'Propulsive, unsettling and searingly funny, Barasch offers an unflinching (and often devastating) look at self-worth, loneliness and an entire generations preoccupation with performance and control. A Novel Obsession is the most entertaining book Ive read all summer.Ella Berman, author of Read with Jenna book club pick The Comeback An utterly captivating meditation on femininity, identity, desire, and art, A Novel Obsession is a ride and a revelation. I read it with my heart in my throat.' -Lauryn Chamberlain, author of Friends From Home

'Somehow simultaneously a high octane page-turner and a heartbreaking character study of a young woman so afraid of being alone, unloved, and uninteresting, that she can't help but leave behind claw marks on everything she grabs hold of. Barasch's genre-bending debut is inventive and electric, signaling the arrival of a bold new voice in fiction.' -Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl

'In her own first novel, Barasch peels back the layers of Naomi's obsessive behavior and apparent emotional detachment to reveal a deeply damaged but utterly compelling young woman.... Barasch's suspenseful puzzle-box tale should appeal to readers of the You series by Caroline Kepnes.' -Starred review from Booklist

'At once a compassionate portrait of someone so desperate for intimacy that she cant help but sabotage it and an incisive study of female friendship at its most toxic and proprietary, this dread-laden psychological thriller is smart, jarring, and funny. Naomi, as a character, is electric; her sinister fixation is as unsettling as it is contagious. Propulsive storytelling and an irresistible narrator from a sharp new writer.' -Starred review from Kirkus