This book came out at the worst time for a book like this to be released. We are in the midst of the #metoo movement where movie execs, actors, and other people in show business are being revealed to have done and said things completely inappropriate (putting it mildly).

In the midst of this come Matthew Weiner, creator of Mad Men with a book about stalking an underaged girl. While not unheard of in the writing world with such hit books as You or Diary of an Oxygen Thief, it is just really bad timing right now.

If we attempt to push the timing aside, Heather, the Totality is still an ok novella (more on that later).

The book centers around 4 characters- Mark- Heather's father, Karen- Heather's mother, Heather, and Bobby- Heather's stalker. The bulk of the book is about Mark and Karen's relationship as Heather grows up to be a teen. As time moves forward, Mark and Karen's relationship begins to get tense as Heather gets older.

The other portion of the first half of the book is Bobby's upbringing and his imprisonment. He has a rough life and becomes more and more psychotic as he grows older. He is arrested for rape and attempted murder after becoming obsessed with a woman.

The back quarter is what happens when these 4 characters come together. Bobby is working construction outside of Mark and Karen's apartment and begins to notice Heather.

It is difficult not to spoil this book because the first thing that will be noticed is how short it is. In print, it is 145 pages. My ebook version had it shy of 100. It reads more like a novella than a full novel. It is very short, especially for a storyteller like Weiner.

While the premise is about the stalking, the bulk of the book is about the prequel of what is to come. I think the reader would be surprised how little the book is about Heather and Bobby.

What I did love about the book was the ending. I will not talk about it, but what would be interesting to pay attention to is how Mark reacts. He does not know Bobby's thoughts, so pay attention to how things play out.

I gave this one 3 stars. I really was hoping for more, but I think the mindset with the #metoo movement and the shortness of the book worked against it.

*I want to thank NetGalley for the advanced readers copy. I received it free in exchange for an honest review.* ( )

Mark and Karen are well-to-do parents of Heather. Heather is their main focus, from the day she was born. There is a steady competition between the two parents for Heather's love and regard.
Bobby is born into a world of drugs, booze and a mother who could care less about him. Bobby is an individual who is beyond being normal.
These people intermix during the novel.

This was OK. Not really much substance, but not really that bad. ( )

There is much packed into this short novel. Without many quotations, the reader is spared most dialogue. It reads much more like a friend telling you a story, leaving only those details that move the plot forward.

It begins with Mark and Karen, a Manhattan couple who are wealthy by most standards but not so much that they don’t still feel competitive with those around them. We find out just enough of their personalities to get a sense of them. Eventually, they have a daughter, Heather, who becomes the center of their lives, especially Karen. As Heather grows into a teenager, she is described as beautiful and very empathetic.

The story cuts to another family focused on a young man named Bobby. He is raised by a drug-addicted mother. As he grows older, he becomes more prone to violence, narcissism, and sociopathy, eventually landing in prison. Upon his release, he finds work with a construction company.

As the reader alternates between the worlds of Bobby and Heather, their upbringings and personalities are juxtaposed. Their two worlds come together when Bobby begins working on the building where Heather and her family live. Upon seeing Heather, Bobby becomes violently infatuated, seeking opportunities to spy on her.

The novel builds the suspense from the start with elements of foreboding, pulling the reader along to what feels like an inevitable ending. I loved the stripped-down, pithy nature of Weiner’s writing.

Very strange "book." It's very short and contains no dialogue. The narration centers around Heather, the daughter of two parents who are obsessed with her. If the story had been fleshed out, it might have been good. As it stands, it's just weird. Don't bother reading it. ( )

Mark und Karen Breakstone haben spät geheiratet. Bald kündigt sich Nachwuchs an, die Tochter wird auf den Namen Heather getauft, und die kleine, wie es scheint, recht perfekte Familie lebt ihr von materiellen Sorgen freies Leben in Manhattan. Doch das Dreieck Vater-Mutter-Kind ist labil. Heather, das von allen vergötterte Mamakind, verändert sich, als sie in die Pubertät kommt, sie wendet sich von der Mutter ab, die das nicht verkraftet.
Parallel erzählt Matthew Weiner das Schicksal von Bobby Klasky, Kind einer drogensüchtigen Prostituierten, geboren in die Hölle hinein. Sein Lebensweg führt ihn nach einer Vergewaltigung ins Gefängnis, wo ihm der letzte Rest von Menschlichkeit abhanden kommt. Als sich die beiden Geschichten kreuzen, kann es nur zur Katastrophe kommen. Und im Mittelpunkt steht, ohne es zu wissen, Heather.