Pet

I was aroused and haunted in equal measure in this page-turning suspense thriller. New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey is my new favorite mystery writer. In two timelines—1984 and 2014–protagonist Justine Crieve narrates her childhood and chilling trauma. It begins when she is twelve (1984), looking back on it thirty years later in 2014. Justine’s voice captivated me straight away; it was gentle yet candid. This is Justine’s Bildungsroman—the story of her youth, her bond with her widowed father, and notably, her complex status as teacher’s pet to Mrs Price. Enigmatic and alluring, Mrs. Price mesmerized many who crossed her path.There’s a bit of Cat’s Eye (Margaret Atwood) invective among peers, a competitive and combative air between friends. I was often caught off-guard, I didn’t know who to trust. A reoccurring challenge in Justine’s life is her seizure disorder, which had previously been controlled with medications. A new onset is upsetting to her and her father; moreover, having a seizure embarrasses Justine. PET highlights the chaos and concerns of adolescence, and Chidgey’s talent for voice and atmosphere perpetuates the well-paced plot and complex characterizations. A dark and satisfying read.

This is an anxiety inducing book. A 12-YO girl wants to be loved and accepted by her teacher. When theft in her classroom occurs blame goes all around, altering lives forever. Turns out, an adult is manipulating an innocent vulnerable girl, gaslighting her. The more the manipulation continued the more stressed I got. It reminds me of Stephen King’s short story The Apt Pupil, which was much more disturbing. But I got the same ill vibes from this book. Fortunately it has a satisfying ending. But major trigger warnings if you don’t care to read about kids being so badly taken advantage of.

What a book! The protagonist is so exceptionally well-drawn and the story is rich and moody. It’s quite the page turner and kept me up quite late reading. This one will stay either way me a long time.

Pet kept me on edge until the last page. An absorbing read with lots of twists and turns and an ending that fully resolves...... or does it!!

‘Pet’ by Catherine Chidgey has both the macabre and the tenderness which made me devour with glee!

This has been one of the best books I have read this year. Set in a time we can all remember, growing up in elementary school, and spanning a few decades, this book felt personal on some level and reminiscent. I loved each of the characters and found them so relatable, yet there were so many surprises along the way. Really a wonderful read.

PETWe meet twelve year old Justine in 1980 living in New Zealand. She lives with her dad who runs an antique shop. Justine attends Catholic school. It's her last year before high school and her entire class is besotted with their teacher, Mrs. Price.Mrs. Price is charming, beautiful, and loves her students. She treats her students like adults, makes learning fun, and goes that extra mile to make them feel special. She has her favorite children and makes no bones about who her current pet is. She has them stay late helping in the classroom and has them run errands for her. She rotates her pets until she zeros in on Justine....and events start taking place.I found this to be a good read although I found it very predictable...still, it had some twists, turns, and surprises. It was dark and mysterious at times. I liked how the story jumped back and forth between the past and present.Catherine Chidgey can really write and I look forward to reading her other books.

A startling good read with a very surprising ending. It kept me guessing from start to finish. A wonderful book.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat there were so many twists and turns. I have been hungry for this kind of psychological page-turner ever since Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine passed away and Ms Cudgley doesn’t disappoint.

Catherine showed what she was capable of in her earlier novel Remote Sympathy.Pet was a different kettle of fish but every bit as good.It was reminiscent of rolling down a hill as a child.Slow to gather speed but after gaining momentum I couldn't and didn't want to stop.Justine was the perfect narrator and it felt like being inside her head as she tried to make sense of the events that were happening to her.Events that became increasingly more unsettling and discomfiting.This was a captivating read that entertained from start to finish.I can hardly wait to see what she offers up next.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, reminded me so much of my younger years in school. Very well written and rather scary too. Another good book from this author.

Good mix of thriller/character study. And ultimately a rather sad story.

I love books from a young person’s point of view but I wanted this book to finish. It was so well written and so sad. A very clever novel.