It’s dark, disturbing, controversial, frightening, and quite chilling in places.

However despite the content it’s also uplifting, hopeful, emotional and a very enjoyable book (if you can get past the controversy!).

I liked the book and I loved Turtle. The book isn’t told form her viewpoint and as you read you learn more about her upbringing and childhood, her character and father and her journey through life. Her rather unorthodox (to say the keast) relationship with her father is interesting and quite brutal and painful in parts to read.

I don’t want to go too much into it but it really is a cracking read and I for one really enjoyed it. The ending was wrapped up well and satisfyingly, I think it’s a hard book to read yet a very important one to read too.

I’d read more from this author for sure.

Martin Alveston is a paedophile, sexual predator, gun enthusiast and survivalist who lives with his daughter Julia (Turtle/Kibble) iaround Buckhorn Bay and Slaughterhouse Gulch in Northern California. He rationalises his abuse from his solipism belief that only he can truly exist as he cannot know other people’ feel and think as he does. He twists these philosophies as an excuse to sexually assault, torture and mentally abuse his daughter, which are all starkly described in this novel.

Gabriel Tallent is definitely an impressive writer particularly in his descriptions of the surrounding area and the subtle fore-shadowing of what is to come. However, the secondary characters are not as convincing and also parts of the novel feel episodic which I feel is a detraction.

Gabriel Tallent is definitely an author to watch in the future. Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, 4th Estate for a review copy.

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway and i am grateful for that. However, this book was not at all what i was expecting and i found it a very difficult and traumatic book to read and, unfortunately, i could not finish it. Although this book has obviously been well researched and written and with a story well worth telling, I read to relax and take my mind away from the problems in my own life, and i felt this book hindered that for me. I apologise to Gabriel Tallent if this is upsetting for him, but i always try to read books and review with an honest opinion on Goodreads, Netgalley and Amazon.

A very disturbing story that i found a difficult read and, in fact, was unable to finish.

My Absolute Darling is a powerful, well-written book that will stay with me for some time.

This is not an easy read and won't be for everyone. It deals with physical and sexual abuse, is very graphic and at times downright unpleasant. However, I didn't feel these sections were gratuitous - they presented a horrific situation without flinching.

The book focuses on Turtle Alveston, a 14/15 year old girl, and her father Martin. Both are monumental achievements; characters who are multi-dimensional, confused, tormented, and in Martin's case, utterly monstrous.

The twisted relationship between the Alvestons is at the centre of a story that simmers throughout with tension and has the reader sometimes dreading what will follow the next page turn.

One of the interesting aspects of the story for me was how incredible it is that the type of abuse described is able to take place. There are so many characters who could have prevented or stopped the situation at various points, so many moments when a little more bravery could have made the difference. Instead, Turtle, full of self-loathing, tragically blames herself.

The darkness of the book perhaps makes it sound like something of a slog but this is not the case. Turtle is a transfixing character, and whilst this is a book about serious issues, it's also a tense page-turner. The climax had me frantically checking the clock in the hope that no one else would come home and interrupt!

On the downside, I could have lived with a little less description of the local flora, and some of the supporting characters seemed a bit too good to be true.

My Absolute Darling is one of my favourite books of this year. It made me think and it made me feel; what more can I ask of a book?

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I feel incredibly ambivalent about this book. On one hand I am ok reading confronting fiction that dares to go where more timid books fear to tread. On the other hand, there was something just off about this book.

The story follows Turtle Alveston, a fourteen year old girl, and her escape from her all powerful (to her) and strangely charismatic father. They live out in the wilds and Turtle has been taught a lot about guns but struggles with things like basic literacy. This is a manipulative and abusive father-daughter relationship on every level. So if you find books that explore rape and incest difficult and off-putting this may not be for you. The father-daughter relationship walks a line where hatred and love have been twisted in on each other until they're almost synonymous. This leads to the entire book feeling very claustrophobic, and it's well done. I quite liked the style and the narrative. It wasn't in my opinion as stunning as the books fans have been raving, but it juxtaposed well with the ugly subject matter. The dialogue was poor. I have no problem with expletives, even lots of expletives, but when every other word is 'fucker' all sense is leached out of the words. I get that Turtle is carrying a weighty amount of anger that is all internalised but even so it was extreme.

The most uncomfortable aspect of the book for me was the portrayal of the father-daughter abuse. Not so much because Turtle seems to enjoy the rape - an unfortunate, disturbing but all to common aspect of this kind of abuse (lets be clear here, if your world has narrowed to pleasing one man who is your entire childish universe, then there is a huge cognitive dissonance when that man - your father - offers the affection that all children need only under circumstances of rape and sexual abuse, This is in know way a comment along the lines of 'all rape victims secretly enjoyed it'). So it wasn't that but the way the rape scenes are described in vivid detail in a way that sexualises a teenaged girl, using language choices in third person omniscient narration that make it seem like titillation - that is extremely disturbing.

Would I recommend this book? Once again I'm ambivalent. Read it if you need confronting fiction about incest although I believe there are books that do it better and with greater nuance.

I finished this book late one evening in a station waiting-room, somewhere between Southampton and Exeter. The man next to me was eating Maltesers. The cleaners had just arrived. I sat for a moment trying to come up with the right word to describe it. It was only after I had tried on a few different words for size (Intense? Disturbing? Compelling?) that I arrived at the perfect word: harrowing.

My Absolute Darling is the story of fourteen-year-old Turtle who lives in remote Mendocino with her father, Martin Alveston. You couldn’t find a more highly praised book if you tried, but for once the reviews are to be believed. The book is indeed all of the things I mentioned above – intense, disturbing, compelling and, overall, a rather harrowing reading experience – but it’s also completely absorbing.

There are some truly horrifying scenes, and everything in Turtle’s world is hard-edged and raw and brutal and bleak. But against this there are passages where the language is so lyrical that the horror seems like a distant memory. Through the darkness there are also glimmers of hope – the love of her grandfather, and the friendship she develops with locals her own age.

The book is also darkly persuasive and strange. There is nothing about the Turtle’s home situation that is constructive or healthy – everything about it makes the reader want to scream at her to free herself. But what stops Turtle from leaving is love, and that’s the most unnerving thing about the book; in the same way that Lolita allows you to be at once disgusted at and sympathetic towards Humbert Humbert, you can feel and almost understand the intensity of the love between the characters. It’s hugely unhealthy and dangerous, but in its own strange form it’s there. Reading the book is a twisted experience of feeling things from several perspectives at once.

Emotionally, it’s an exhausting book to read, but it’s testament to Tallent’s writing that you want to keep going. The moments of adventure are vivid and thrilling, Turtle’s introspection is sensitive, frustrating and at times beautiful, and there’s an electric edge of danger that lurks and through the whole book, periodically breaking through to shock. You’ll finish the book with your nerves wrung out and shaky, as if a rush of adrenaline has just ebbed away, and puzzled at how a man could possibly be eating Maltesers next to you, as if nothing out of the ordinary has just happened. The book is an intense journey but the hype is to be believed – it’s one well-worth taking.

There has been a huge amount of Twitter hyope for this novel, and all I can say is believe every word. This novel is stunning and extraordinary.

Meet Turtle. Turtle, is 15 and lives with her father in the run down family home in Mendocino California. Turtle appears to have no mother in her life, cares little for make up and clothes, the province of most 15 year old girls, can skin a rabbit, strip and clean an array of guns and can shoot as well as any man.

Yet Turtle is troubled, dealing with issues any child should never have to deal with. Her main issue is a father who is convinced the world will end, loves Turtle with a suffocating fierceness, and regularly abuses Turtle both sexually, physically and mentally.

Turtle sees no means of escape until the death of her grandfather and sudden departure of her father that force her to reassess her life. She befriends Jacob and all of a sudden Turtle sees glimpses of a proper family life and of people who care about her in the right way. All too soon her happiness is shattered when her father returns, this time with a young girl and slowly Turtle’s eyes are opened to just how wrong her father is.

This is a dark, unsettling read and definitely not for the fainthearted. It does contain issues that some may find disturbing but if you can live with it then please read this book.

Turtle is one of the best characters I have read all year. She is feisty, and resourceful, naive in the ways of the modern world yet underneath she yearns to have friends and ultimately to live a normal live. She both loves and hates her father, but doesn’t know what a normal father, daughter relationship is. Her tenacity and sheer courage shine through in the latter stages of the book and you find yourself rooting for this young girl, reading faster to discover how her story will end.

Tallent’s settings are wonderfully done and perfectly match the varied moods within the book and his knowledge of guns and nature is very well researched.

Tallent’s writing is full of drama and tension that leaps from the pages and certainly set the heart racing at times. The sexual abuse that Turtle endures is incredibly well done and handled with care. At no time did it feel out of place or written purely to shock the reader, it definitely had a place within the novel. I felt its purpose was to show the love hate relationship between Turtle and her father as though it was the only way that he could show Turtle how much he loved her, how much that she was his and his alone.

This is a novel that will grab hold of you, pull you in and not let you go until it you have experienced every conceivable emotion from utter despair to hope and happiness. Turtle will stay with you long after you have read the last page and I can honestly say this was a truly stunning novel.

Thank you to Fourth Estate Books for providing a proof copy yo read and review.

I was very excited to read this book as I had heard many opinions, some good, some bad.
This book gave me a pain in my head, my heart and my gut. There writing was beautiful and sometimes overly graphic but that only seemed to add to the desperation and desolation I felt for Turtle. In between all the sadness were moments of absolute sunshine and hope which made me feel even worse for Turtle. I wanted to save her, I wanted her to save herself.
This book was raw and left me feeling sad and upset and will stay with me for a very very long time. This is in my top 5 reads of the year so far.
What an absolutely beautiful and heart wrenching book.

Gosh, this book is not for the faint-hearted. It is shocking, gripping, repellent, admirable in turns and doesn't hold back in any way. Turtle is a great character who (literally) survives despite being used and abused by her psychotic father and somehow getting into the most awful situations of danger. She is the real survivalist, her father is warped and completely self-obsessed. It is an incredibly dark book that is painful to read in parts, there are graphic scenes of incest and violence and an explosive ending which was too violent for me to really take in properly. However, there is hope at the end, some great characters, excellent writing and its worth all the trauma.

My Absolute Darling is a troubling read. The book focuses on the physical and emotional entrapment of fourteen- year- old Turtle by her cruel and violent father. Any enjoyment in this novel for me was marred by the fear of what might come next. Having been warned off about the fate of Rosy, I must have missed large lumps of narrative in an attempt to avoid that section. There will doubtless be those who feel that this comment is trivial in the context of other violence in the book, but to quote Kant, one of the philosophers Martin, the father, seemed obsessed with, ‘He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men’.
There is much in this book that is good, like the writing in the tension packed passages, but it is impossible to bond with a book in some ways and to keep it at a distance in others. Ultimately, it felt overshadowed by the weirdness and tedium of the ending.

There’s been an awful lot written about Tallent’s debut novel and it certainly seems to have polarised people. When I read an unfavourable review, especially the ones that thoughtfully and intelligently state the case against it, I find myself unable to refute the arguments. And when I read a positive review I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing with it. For truth to tell I was totally compelled by it and read it almost at a sitting, horrifying though I found much of it. The story of 14-year old Turtle Alveston who lives with her survivalist and abusive father is not for the faint-hearted. Sober reflection forces me to admit that much of it is far-fetched. The writing is often overblown. And yet I was gripped by it, almost against my will, and have finally come down on the side of those who think it is, if not quite a masterpiece, then certainly heading that way.

As other readers said, this fails immensely in being an account of how a teenager would be/feel/react to horrific--and sadistically described, because the descriptions ended up being all for shock and not to really help the story unfold--abuse. It is more a "how a grown up man thinks it would be" without any real feeling that could make me invested in the story. It feels distant, unreal, untrue.
Also, it reads a lot like a YA novel but one that wants to be profound contemporary fiction. It fails as both for me.

There are too many plot holes to even begin with. It sounds badly researched, badly characterized, badly plotted. I can't understand the hype, at all.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with and ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I read the blurb and thought “Do I really want to read this?”
I faced the challenge and this book is not for the faint hearted, gut wrenching at some stage or made my blood boil. I sticked to it, because very early in the book I build up my relationship to Turtle which continued throughout the whole book. I’m glad that I picked up the book and the hype is justified.
I dare you, be brave and read it, even though this one will push you out of your comfort zone. It is worth it and you will fall in love with Turtle.

My Absolute Darling is a story about 14 year old Julia "Turtle" Alveston who is raised by her unstable and abusive father, Martin. Martin tries to instill in Turtle the belief that she is his "Absolute Darling" - she is made by him, belongs to him and he can do with her what he will. The novel is beautifully written and describes the ambivalence Turtle feels towards her father whom she loves and hates with equal ferocity. The other characters in the book are well depicted and their interactions and relationships with Turtle serve to highlight the aberration of her life with her father. So much happens in this novel, each emotion-filled incident the result of something preceding it and the catalyst for the event to follow. Seldom has a book evoked such diverse, strong emotions in me. At times, it left me horrified and emotionally drained. At other times, I was filled with hope, faith in humanity, and admiration for the strength and determination ultimately shown by Turtle. Thanks to HARPER Collins UK, 4th Estate and NetGalley for the ARC.

Turtle is a 14 year old girl whose life is based on survival. Brought up by an abusive (sexual, physical, mental), controlling, jealous, socopathic father who is also a survivalist, Turtle's knows no other way of life. Her father calls her his absolute darling, his love for her is psychotic, and yet this is all she knows of love until she stumbles upon Jacob and his friend Brett. They show her what friendship, love and life should be like, they show her an alternative. However, by opening her eyes to what her life could be, they also risk increasing Martin's abusive behaviour.

This is a novel which deals with horrific abuse, it is a novel which has at its' core an unforgettable heroine, one who makes the reader want to enter her world to save her from Martin. Set against this violence and abuse we also have beautiful descriptions of nature and the world in which Turtle lives. A literary thriller/drama which overwhelms and leaves you drained.

I thought this book was incredible. A visceral yet thought-provoking read that may be uncomfortable to some, however the depth of character and beautiful, literary prose makes this a tremendous accomplishment that I will be recommending to for years to come.

It's difficult to know what to say about this book that hasn't been said. It is beautifully written and brings the reader right into the centre of this often disturbing story. There are moments of excruciating tension and without doubt there are times where I found myself squirming in discomfort. His characterisations of Turtle and Martin and their relationship evokes a shocking visceral response. People should be aware that there are very dark elements to this story; particularly readers who have suffered abuse. All the characters are dynamic and very much alive. We can see them and feel them and we really get to know them and their relationship within themselves and with others. It's a very special book.

I love reading because books take you other places. They let you explore the world, transport you to other moments in time and into the minds of different people. There are books that bring you joy, take you on a moonlight stroll through the pleasant valleys of life. But there are also books that drag you down to the darker regions of life, the depravity and despair of some people's lives. And those books are just as powerful and necessary. My Absolute Darling is one of those latter books and it is an unforgettable read. Thanks to 4th Estate and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Some books are terrifying and My Absolute Darling is one of those books. It is deeply chilling and psychologically tense. It also seems to have no true heroes but only villains of different shades of evil. It's not a very optimistic book, you won't walk away from it with a bounce in your step. And yet it is a wonderful book, incredibly visceral and emotional. Tallent captures the beauty and wildness of nature, the harshness of human contact, the unflinching cruelty of love. Despite its highly emotional topics, Tallent avoids cliches and overly dramatic prose. Rather, he digs deep into Turtle's psyche, bringing her internal life to the forefront in a way that feels genuine and real. He describes this so well that when he breaks outside of Turtle's world it almost feels jarring and yet strangely exhilarating. It's hard to describe just how much Tallent sucks you into his story and his world, but it is an experience I would recommend to everyone.

At the heart of My Absolute Darling is Turtle, who lives alone with her father in what seems the middle of no where. Her only true emotional and social contact outside her father is her grandfather, himself a conflicting and conflicted character. Her father trains her how to hunt, how to survive, how to anticipate the end of the world. Yet all his training and discipline, his obsessive love for her, has Turtle constantly on the edge of overwhelmed. As she starts to see more of the world around her, how other people live, she begins to question and to wonder, something that will ultimately lead to the end of everything she knows. My Absolute Darling is a chilling character study of both Turtle and her father, a journey into the depths of human darkness, but also an ode to human resilience. There are parts to this book which are truly shocking and graphic, both violent and sexual, and hence I would recommend perhaps avoiding this book if these are triggers for you until you feel ready to face them head on.

Tallent amazingly captures Turtle's mind. On the one hand she is slavishly devoted to her father, who is all she has. On the other hand she is developing her own mind, her own self, and starting to questioning the world he has created for her. There is something lyrical to the novel, how Tallent describes Turtle's ease around nature, her instinct in crisis. Tallent also avoids may of the pitfalls I thought might lie ahead. There is no happy ending with a cherry on top, no grand love affair that carries Turtle away from her misery, no guardian angel that steps in just in time. The novel focuses in solely on Turtle, her journey, her internal life, and she becomes everything the reader needs. My Absolute Darling is a novel of survival, but not in the 'I conquered it and now everything is good'-sense. Rather, it shows survival as the continuous struggle it is, the conscious decision day in day out to wake up and face the world again, to face your demons head on. In that sense, My Absolute Darling is also a very inspiring read.

God this novel is amazing! I devoured My Absolute Darling and simply couldn't put it down. Tallent has you on the edge of your seat the whole time and leaves you shaken by the end. It's the kind of novel that will give you something new every time you reread it. I'd recommend this to everyone willing to go on this journey with Turtle, but keep the trigger warnings in mind.

I'd struggle to recommend this book to a friend, simply due to the fact that it contains some extremely disturbing content, to the point where I almost stopped reading. It almost feels at points like the author is relishing the horror that the protagonist endures. But there's no doubt that this is one of the most skilled, powerful debut novels I've read in a while. And, if you stick with it through the darkness, you will find some hope.

Julia ‘Turtle’ Alveston lives an isolated life with her survivalist father in the Mendocino forest. Having lost her mother when she was young, her controlling, abusive father is the single largest influence in her life. She doesn't fit in at school or get on with other girls as she she's been schooled in his masochistic tendencies. Every day, she methodically cleans her guns and takes part in regular shooting practice, preparing for any eventuality. The only time she truly comes alive is when she’s alone, out in nature. The writer’s descriptions of the forest are beautiful, and you can feel the sense of freedom which is unleashed when Turtle is out in the wild.

The first 50% of this book is oppressive and bleak, with some extremely upsetting scenes peppered only with the occasional scene of beauty to take the edge off the darkness. Julia is a victim of systematical, lifelong abuse, and the author perfectly captures the internal dilemma and damage this could cause.

"She thinks, when your daddy sees clearly, then he wants everything for you, and when he doesn't, when he can't see that you are your own person, then he wants to bring you down with him."

But, gradually, some other characters are introduced into Turtle’s life and the stifling veil she has lived her life under begins to lift. She realises there may be more to life than the strict regime she's been locked into since childhood by her obsessive, psychotic father.

This book is no easy read; I struggled through the first half as it felt like just one horror after another was piled upon Turtle. But this protagonist is fierce, plucky and one of the strongest characters I’ve known, and her tale of survival is packed with action, drama and emotion as the tension increases in the final part. It's raw and real, and it's not a pleasant read, but the character development and descriptions of nature are brilliant. If you're not easily fazed, this is a rich, rewarding read from a very talented debut author.

And so to the book that has everyone talking. A book bestowed with the highest praise of Stephen King, no less. Or perhaps lumbered with it. It makes me wish I'd read this novel without hearing the hype and having impossibly high expectations. But I can certainly see why it has generated such heated debate.

14-year-old Julia "Turtle" Alveston is the focus of our attention. She lives on a sprawling, run-down farm with her father Martin, on the North California coast. With a survivalist attitude, Martin has taught Turtle how to take care of herself - she is handy with a gun and can skin a small animal with minimum fuss. But he also subjected her to all manner of abuse, and Turtle is wracked with anxiety and low self-esteem. On an excursion miles from her house, she encounters Jacob and Brett, two boys her own age. With their boundless enthusiasm and immediate extension of friendship, they offer Turtle the first glimpse of a promising future. But it will mean leaving Martin behind, and she doesn't know if she's brave enough for that.

Turtle is a fascinating creation. We quickly realise how smart and resourceful she is, but she has a very unhealthy opinion of herself. Years of torture by her sociopathic father have turned her into a self-hating misogynist. She worships Martin - he has taught her everything she knows - but she also understands how dangerous he is: "I need you to be hard on me, because I am no good for myself and you make me do what I want to do but cannot do for myself; but still, but still — you are sometimes not careful; there is something in you, something less than careful, something almost — I don't know, I am not sure, but I know it's there."

It is the abuse in these pages which will set most tongues wagging. Emotional, physical and worst of all, sexual abuse. I would not consider myself squeamish or easily offended, but I struggled to make it through some of the more graphic passages. Gabriel Tallent certainly knows how to provoke a reaction, I'll give him that. It makes Turtle easy to root for - we read on in the hope that she can escape this monster's clutches, but we are also fearful for the consequences if it doesn't work out.

I do have an issue with the dialogue in this story. I don't really understand why Jacob and Brett remain so besotted with Turtle. We know she has a lot going on in her head but externally she surely appears gruff and taciturn. She either responds in monosyllables or insults them, yet they always come back for more. And the boys don't talk like normal teenagers do. I know they are intelligent but they feel impossibly precocious, quoting the likes of Marcus Aurelius in lengthy soliloquys. At one point Jacob describes Martin as "a colossal douchebag, among the worst to ever sail the lemon verbena seas, a primordial ur-douche the depth and profundity of whose douchism staggers the mind and beggars the imagination." That just doesn't ring true as natural teenage dialogue to me.

But one thing Gabriel Tallent does extremely well is choreograph an action sequence. An eel fishing adventure that goes wrong, some DIY surgery and the breathless denouement - these are the scenes that will stand out in my mind when I remember this book. And in the tough as nails Turtle and the abominable Martin, he has given us two characters that will live long in the memory. My Absolute Darling is an engrossing, unsettling debut and like it or not, an unforgettable read.