A literary suspense novel told with the style of Patricia Highsmith and Paul Auster, in which an eerie social game goes viral and spins perilously -- and criminally -- out of control.
Rebecca’s on-again-off-again boyfriend Ezra has gone missing, but when she notifies the police they seem surprisingly unconcerned. They suspect he has been playing the “stranger game,” a viral hit in which players start following others in real-life, as they might otherwise do on social media. As the game spreads, however, the rules begin to change, play grows more intense, and disappearances are reported across the country.
Curious about this popular new obsession, and hoping that she might be able to track down Ezra, Rebecca tries the game for herself. She also meets Carey, a player willing to take the game further than she imagined possible. As her relationship with Carey and involvement in the game deepen, she begins to uncover an unsettling subculture that has infiltrated the world around her.
In playing the stranger game, what may lead her closer to finding Ezra may lead her further and further from the life she once lived.
A thought-provoking, haunting novel, The Stranger Game unearths the connections, both imagined and real, that we build with the people around us in the physical and digital world, and where the boundaries blur between them.
Rebecca’s on-again-off-again boyfriend Ezra has gone missing, but when she notifies the police they seem surprisingly unconcerned. They suspect he has been playing the “stranger game,” a viral hit in which players start following others in real-life, as they might otherwise do on social media. As the game spreads, however, the rules begin to change, play grows more intense, and disappearances are reported across the country.
Curious about this popular new obsession, and hoping that she might be able to track down Ezra, Rebecca tries the game for herself. She also meets Carey, a player willing to take the game further than she imagined possible. As her relationship with Carey and involvement in the game deepen, she begins to uncover an unsettling subculture that has infiltrated the world around her.
In playing the stranger game, what may lead her closer to finding Ezra may lead her further and further from the life she once lived.
A thought-provoking, haunting novel, The Stranger Game unearths the connections, both imagined and real, that we build with the people around us in the physical and digital world, and where the boundaries blur between them.
This book was weird, really weird, part thriller part something else - i am not sure where to begin. With such an interesting premise i was so excited to be invited on to the tour for this.
We all people watch in our day to day life dont we, sometimes creating scenrioes in our head or out loud to what the other person is doing, this book takes that concept and turns it into something more sinister.
Rebecca (our main character ) starts to worry when her on off boyfriend of years vanishes, usually he tells her if he is seeing someone else when he has been gone a while. When she reports her concerns to the police - its not taken all too seriously as people are vanishing all over whilst playing the stranger game.
Rebecca finds a document at Ezra (her on/off ex) house explaining the rules, but like most viral things - it has escalated massively with new rules to play.
See - different right? This book was manic, i felt like i was following people, been followed and for the life of me couldnt work out what was happening and that is not a bad thing, i spend alot of time guessing what is happening in books very early on and this certainly kept me guessing.
The concept was unique and i enjoyed seeing how something that was meant to be one thing morphed into something else. Rebecca wasnt the most likeable of characters to me, i found her a bit hard to warm too, and often didnt believe her ( a bit like the police i guess) and i feel like the synopsis places more emphasis on the game in the digital world which i really didnt get - i feel like that bit didnt relate but i get the reference to how something becomes viral.
I really enjoyed following this book through, and it certainly requires concentration to get through it, it isnt a quick easy read but if you are after something that is a different take on a thriller - this could be for you.
**Gifted for review**
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