Kiss Me First

Kiss Me First

by Lottie Moggach (Author)

Synopsis

How far can one person go to assume the identity of another online? Kiss Me First asks this question as Leila, a computer whizz-kid who's never been kissed, agrees to adopt the identity of the beautiful, urbane and fragile Tess. Tess wants to end her life whilst her family and friends will believe that she is alive and well on the other side of the world. Leila spins Tess's story - responding to emails, updating her Facebook page, posting photographs - but how long can the lie survive...?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2013 GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD

Leila has never met Tess, but she now knows more about Tess than anyone in the world. She's read all of her emails, researched her past and asked Tess for every detail about her friends and family.

Tess has never met Leila. But if she wants to slip away from the world unnoticed, she needs to trust Leila with her life.

At first, Leila finds it easy to assume Tess's identity, and no one has any reason to distrust her. But as Leila is soon to discover, there is much more to a person than the facts and there are things about life you can learn only by living it . . .

Original, haunting and utterly gripping, Kiss Me First is an electrifying debut from a phenomenally gifted storyteller.

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Quantity

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Edition: UK Airside & Open market ed
Publisher: Picador
Published: 04 Jul 2013

ISBN 10: 1447235665
ISBN 13: 9781447235668

Media Reviews
`A brave, poignant and humane novel about society's taboos - and the cost of breaking them. Lottie Moggach has put her finger to the pulse of our times.' Liz Jensen, author of The Rapture
`Witty, suspenseful, satirical and bold. A Patricia Highsmith for the Facebook age.' Polly Samson, author of Perfect Lives
`I was gripped from the first page, moved throughout, and swallowed the book whole.' Erin Kelly, author of The Poison Tree
`Unputdownable' India Knight
`Kiss Me First has deft, expert writing, a startlingly original plot, and two central characters - cerebral, sheltered, obsessive Leila and charismatic, unstable Tess - who leap off the page. This is a dark, disturbing, needle-sharp exploration of how the internet age is transforming our idea of reality and identity.' Tana French, author of In the Woods
`An exceptional debut... This really is the book that everyone will be reading.' The Bookseller
`Embraces new media with a playful vehemence laid out in a clean, crisp prose style... great panache, humour and engaging insight... However, while social media might be the framework for this novel, it is not the heart. This is the story of a socially isolated young woman, still grieving for the loss of her mother, who finds meaning, hope and perhaps love in the lives of others. Kiss Me First is a refreshing, skilfully-handled novel very much of our times' Booktrust
`Hailed as this year's Gone Girl, make room in your beach bag for this' Elle
`Riveting and thought-provoking, Kiss Me First is the intelligent novel of the social media age I've been waiting for.' Emma Chapman, author of How To Be a Good Wife
`What is identity in the digital age? And how do you know anyone is who they say they are? That is the dilemma that lies at the heart of this slippery tale, featuring the most unreliable narrator this side of Gone Girl. The first thriller to truly tackle the shifting sands of a life lived online, I couldn't put it down.' Sam Baker, Harper's Bazaar
`I tore through Lottie Moggach's Kiss Me First. Gripping, quirky, twisty - quite a ride.' Harriet Lane, author of Alys Always
`This original and unsettling psychological thriller is already one of the most talked-about debut novels of the year... Worryingly convincing, Kiss Me First is a brilliantly twisty thriller that will make you wonder how well you really know your online friends' Irish Times
`I was fascinated by Kiss Me First - its unique premise got my interest from the start and Lottie Moggach's confident and compelling writing sustained it. An impressive debut.' Jessica Ruston, author of The Darker Side of Love
`Kiss Me First has all the hallmarks of a psychological thriller bestseller... complete with plenty of twists and turns. Disturbing and compelling in equal measures, this is a tightly plotted and irresistible debut which packs a hefty punch. One of those rare beasts: a true page-turner' Laissez-Faire magazine
`A gripping psychological thriller... Moggach's skill in plotting means readers won't anticipate the twists and turns built into the story, making for an intensely enjoyable reading experience. Memorable and fast-moving' Publisher's Weekly, starred review
`Lottie Moggach's psychologically terrifying debut thriller, Kiss Me First, will have you questioning your presence on the world wide web' Publishers Weekly
`Smart and darkly funny... a high-concept plot, a terrific narrator and plenty of big questions about human identity in an online world' Reader's Digest
`Lottie Moggach's very smart Kiss Me First is a moving coming of age story hidden within a harrowing mystery... The story's suspense will keep you reading, but it's Leila's surprisingly emotional journey toward selfhood that will stick with you long after you've finished this wonderful first novel.' Scott Smith, author of A Simple Plan
`Lottie Moggach enters the literary scene with a bang in this very modern thriller that takes identity fraud to the next level... a gripping debut that will have you looking over your virtual shoulder as you de-clutter your friends list' Stylist
an outstanding first novel about a young woman who, with the internet as her ally, steers another woman towards suicide. -- Books of the Year * Observer *
Author Bio
Lottie Moggach lives in London. This is her first novel.