The Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent

Heather Darwent’s debut, The Things We Do To Our Friends, seems to have all the components of the next literary sensation: a hint of dark academia, a morally complex and unpredictable narrator, the promise of feminist themes and an atmospheric setting vivid enough to feel like another character – Edinburgh, no less.

The premise is immediately compelling: Clare arrives at the University of Edinburgh with a secret and a desperate hope to find the right friends who will help her reinvent herself. Soon she meets The Shiver, a privileged and ambitious clique that promises everything she has ever wanted, no matter the cost. Darwent keeps a sense of suspense from the very first to the very last page through clever pacing, constantly dropping shocking revelations and raising new unanswered questions throughout the novel. Clare’s voice offers a deliciously dark perspective that is hard to resist.

The book’s weakness, however, lies precisely on its pretence to have it all, and the lack of commitment to a theme and a unified story that results from it. Perhaps borrowing too much from popular media, some elements feel gratuitous past their marketing value: the academia scenery contributes very little to the narrative and the promised feminist politics are nowhere to be found. Despite this, however, The Things We Do To Our Friends is a thrilling debut, difficult to put down and wonderfully twisted.

---

Viking, 12 Jan