Sometimes you read the blurb of a book and it sounds really appealing. It could be a premise that just sounds great, or it could be that the idea being described reaches out to you because you’d love to read about someone else’s life that’s a bigger mess than yours. But sometimes the blurb doesn’t quite manage to convey what’s actually inside the pages of the book, and that’s the case with Esther is Now Following You, which comes across as a tale of star-crossed fan-girling, with a touch of celeb-stalking and some social media frenzy thrown in for good measure. There’s also a touch of the crazy that might be alluded to.
Once you dive in though, you discover that it’s not quite the light and frothy venture into fandom that you were lead to believe. Once you peel back the layers, you’ll find a much darker story of obsession, trauma, loss, and the distortion of reality that a digital social culture enables. It spirals into a chilling narrative on where deteriorating mental health can take a person when left unchecked. Tread carefully.
Blurb:
You’re the love of Esther’s life. You just don’t know it yet…
Esther first sees Ted walking in a park in London. They lock eyes and for a fraction of a second, she feels something she’s never felt before.
She starts by reading up about his life in Canada and his work as an actor. Then she watches every interview with him online. It isn’t long before she’s joined Ted’s fan site online where her and the ‘Tedettes’ stalk his every move.
When Ted gets a new celebrity girlfriend, Esther decides that things have gone far enough. She leaves her husband, takes all their savings, and buys a one-way ticket to Canada.
After all, Ted might not know it yet, but they are meant to be together – he just needs a little bit of persuading…
My Review:
It should be noted that as much as this book is about social media and digital social culture, it’s based in 2010/2011, so you need to cast your mind back to what platforms were like back then!
Although I read this book quickly, I’m not sure if it’s one that I actually liked. Truthfully, I think it left me feeling rather uneasy. The main character, Esther, is not entirely likeable or reliable (as a narrator) but I have a sneaking suspicion that many people will find her relatable in many ways.
Esther is an Irish woman in her thirties, living in London with her husband. Suffice to say, her life hasn’t turned out the way she’d expected and when she miscarries, yet again, her mental state goes for a bit of a loop! But while walking in the park one day, she happens to walk past Ted Levy, a little-known Canadian actor. He glances her way as he brushes past her and she’s positive they share a ‘moment’. From that second, Esther’s life is not the same.
Every decision Esther makes after meeting (actually, just ‘seeing’) Ted that day, is influenced by her growing feelings for him. She literally stalks every area of his life online; watches every video clip she can find; finds every friend and family member and ‘follows’ them in case she can catch a glimpse of him, or keep track of what he’s doing or where he is. Esther doesn’t just go down a rabbit hole, she set up an entirely new home in it, redecorated and moved in!!
She connects with a group of fans who call themselves the Tedettes (chaos on a whole different level), becoming further and further consumed with her obsession. And obviously the more time she spends online, the less time she spends focusing on what’s right in front of her … until she decides that she actually prefers her online reality to the miserable life she’s barely existing in. So she packs up and heads off to America to find Ted and her happily ever after with him.
I’m not going reveal what happens when she does that – read the book to find out. What I will share is that Esther obviously creates a convoluted trail for herself wherever she goes.
It’s interesting to note that one of the meanings of the name Esther is “hidden”, and that’s what Esther does through a lot of this story: she hides her true identity, not wanting others to know who she really is, where she’s come from, and what her intentions are (she’s often not sure of those herself).
If you’re looking for something that’s a quick, easy and light read then this probably isn’t the book you’re going to pick up. If you’d rather read something that’s nuanced, with complex themes and flawed characters, then this is a perfect choice!
Thank you to Penguin Random House South Africa for my review copy.
jansbookbuzz.com 
Leave a comment