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The Things We Do to Our Friends

By: Heather Darwent
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

You'd die for them.

They'd kill for you...

What is the cost of an extraordinary life if others have to pay?

Clare arrives at the University of Edinburgh with a secret. This is her chance for a blank slate—to finally become who she was meant to be.

And then she meets Tabitha.

Tabitha is charismatic, beautiful and intimidatingly rich. Soon Clare is sucked into her enigmatic circle of friends and their dizzying world of champagne on rooftops and summers in France.

Her new life has begun.

Then Tabitha reveals the little project they're working on, a project they need Clare's help with. And Clare can't say no.

Because they know what she did...

An intoxicating feminist pause-resister with shades of The Secret History and Promising Young Woman, this novel will take you on a journey from Edinburgh's dazzling spires to the dripping staircases and dark alleyways of its underbelly.

©2023 Heather Darwent (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"One of the best suspense debuts I've read . . . startlingly lovely, like a fine, dark silk shivering on your skin." (Julia Heaberlin, We Are All the Same in the Dark)

"A brilliantly unsettling and memorable protagonist." (Rosemary Hennigan)

"Sinister, compelling, utterly spellbinding. I couldn't put it down!" (Vikki Patis, Girl, Lost)

What listeners say about The Things We Do to Our Friends

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fun suspense with a moderate amount of psychopathology and first person narrated violence

I read another review that called this novel ‘an arty book’ and gave it 1 star for ‘story’.
It is certainly not ‘Killing Commendatore’ by Haruki Murakami, which is an elevated suspense that is also literary fiction. However, this novel is a fun and delightfully dark and twisty suspense that carries your attention throughout the entire book. Often I seek out suspense fiction when life is stressful and I am lacking in concentration, as a novel to listen to at bedtime with a sleep-timer, when travelling, or as a way to take a break between dense and emotionally heavy reading. This book was the perfect choice for a week interstate with my usual routine out of sync, but still wanting something that would engage me the second I dipped back it.
Set at a pace where it is unlikely that you will question improbabilities of certain scenarios, Darwent hurtles the reader along with the first person account of the university experiences of a young woman and her close group of friends as they set about developing a rather unconventional business to supplement their income. Each individual has significantly different motivations for wanting to be part of the business and each has their own limits in terms of what they are willing to contribute. As with any group of people, power dynamics are always at play.
I’m always one to guess the ending of a suspense by 2/3rd’s of the way through. I was pleasantly surprised that I made it right the way through to the epilogue and the story was still revealing it’s secrets.
I don’t usually write reviews on Audible, I usually only give stars, but after seeing the prior review, and having not guessed the ending I felt compelled to take the time to write this.

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Intoxicating Dark Tale

An absolute page turner of a book. Ridley like characters in a claustrophobic, compulsive story of friendship and manipulation

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Captivating!

I was hooked from the beginning. Very twisty. Very interesting characters. This will be a story that sticks with me for a long time.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

'Arty book'

Not my type of book. 'Arty'. Predominately monologue. Interesting storyline. More words for review blah

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1 person found this helpful

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