And He Shall Appear

I am forever searching for The Secret History-esque reads so it’s safe to say that the plot of Kate van der Borgh’s And He Shall Appear enthralled me immediately. And, wow, did it not disappoint. This dark academia novel is exactly that; unsettling, eerie and enchanting. This story consumed me: I felt jittery both whilst reading and whilst itching to get back to it. This trope is done a lot (I would never say over done and I will never get bored of it) but what makes And He Shall Appear a true masterpiece - and it is - is that it is uniquely different, both through its particular story, and some genre weaving, but also by van der Borgh’s ability to explore through our unnamed narrators own obsession, why we (I know it’s not just me!) are so obsessed with these types of stories. Privilege, class and education are explored along with jealously, obsession and relationships. The ending was superb: twist upon twist, none of which I had completely foreseen, and although quite sad, honestly, it felt very right. I know I read this in August but it will make the perfect autumnal read. And He Shall Appear is mesmerising, chilling and compulsive: a book that had me reading til the early hours whilst simultaneously never wanting it to end; devouring every word, rereading whole parts, all to ensure I’d understood the meaning, felt the moment and truly taken everything I could from this. 5 stars gladly given - loved.