Providence is Caroline Kepnes's third novel.[1] It has been described as romance-suspense-thriller, with supernatural aspects.[2][3] Reviewers have explicitly characterized it as "strange".[4][5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/43/Providence_%28Kepnes_novel%29.jpg/220px-Providence_%28Kepnes_novel%29.jpg)
Story
editThis book is a fictional story loosely of the Sci-fi genre. Loosely, because it is cryptic and doesn’t explain the scientific mechanisms that transform one of the main characters. In the book, a young woman finds herself caught in an emotionally & geographically distant relationship with her childhood sweetheart. A relationship in which she has zero control and is being strung along with just enough reinforcement to maintain concern, compassion, and hope for reuniting with this individual even though he is unable or unwilling to communicate the reason why they cannot be together.
Kepnes published the novel in 2018, four years after the publication of her dark first novel You. You was turned into a television and Netflix series, and her second novel was a sequel to it. Providence is unrelated to the first two novels.
The novel was published by Lenny Books, an imprint of Random House that is directed by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner.[6][7]
Reception
editAlison Flood, in a review published by The Guardian, wrote "Providence is compelling, and Kepnes provides a sometimes piercing insight into the small, strange, sad details that make up a life, though without quite achieving the deep, dark pleasures of You."[4] According to Cheryl Wassenaar, in a review in Cultures magazine, the novel is "a bit like Dexter meets, well, H.P. Lovecraft."[1]
In an interview on a Providence, Rhode Island television station Kepnes noted that she set the novel in Providence because she was familiar with the area, having been a student there.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b
Cheryl Wassenaar (2018-06-23). "4 reasons Providence is a perfectly strange novel". Cultures magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
The action is all set in New England; Kepnes is from there, and it shows in her work. The inside flap calls it "part love story, part detective story, and part supernatural thriller," and the best way I can describe it is that it's a bit like Dexter meets, well, H.P Lovecraft.
- ^ Caroline Kepnes (2018). Providence: A Novel. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9780399591440. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
- ^
Sadie Trombetta (2018-06-19). "'Providence' By Caroline Kepnes Combines Romance, Horror, And Mystery For The Ultimate Summer Read". Bustle magazine. Archived from the original on 2018-06-19. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
A beautifully crafted narrative that deftly combines a sweet coming-of-age love story with elements of Lovecraftian horror and supernatural suspense, Providence is Kepnes at her best. A rich novel brimming with as much heartfelt emotion as genuine thrills, it will keep readers flipping the pages at a rapid pace, searching for answers to their own questions about love, truth, connection, and what it means to be human.
- ^ a b
Alison Flood (2018-11-06). "The best recent thrillers – review roundup". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
In Providence (Simon & Schuster, £8.99), she takes on the story of a kidnapping and its aftermath.
- ^
Rana Schenke (2018-10-21). "Providence book review: Feelings can kill you". The Daily Egyptian. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
This book was a strange one. While reading it, I didn't feel like it fit into any particular genre.
- ^
Breanne L. Heldman (2017-11-27). "You author Caroline Kepnes reveals cover of her latest novel, Providence". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
EW can exclusively reveal the cover for Providence, which will be released June 18, 2018, on Lenny Books, Lena Dunham's imprint at Random House.
- ^
Meredith Goldstein (2018-08-30). "Shiny happy people give author Caroline Kepnes the creeps". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
In June, she released "Providence," a genre-blending story that follows two friends in the aftermath of a kidnapping. It takes place around New England and was the first novel published under Lenny, Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner's imprint at Random House.
- ^
Rachel Noon (2018-07-07). "Author Kepnes Discusses Her New Book, "Providence" on LIVE". Go local Providence. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
Her newest work "Providence" is the supernatural tale that follows the story of two best friends, Jon and Chloe who are separated when one is kidnapped and kept hidden away for years. When he finally manages to escape, he discovers an unwanted power of hurting anyone he cares about.