Creep

Peñaflor (All of This Is True) chronicles a high school sophomore’s obsession with two fellow students’ relationship in this spine-chillingly disturbing novel. After dating for 10 months, Holy Family High School seniors Laney Villanueva and Nico Fiore have just had sex for the first time. Rafaela “Rafi” Wickham knows this because she’s been fanatically cataloguing their interactions (“I could watch them together all day, maybe forever. They’re that beautiful”). As punishment for a previous fixation, Rafi works in the school administrative office under the watchful eye of principal Father Philip. When she forges late passes for Laney and Nico, for which Laney declares her “the best,” Rafi—who feels that they’re now “in this together, the three of us”—begins inserting herself into their lives. She offers to babysit Nico’s younger sister and take the couple’s photos; they, in turn, invite her to parties and take her on joyrides. The trio continue growing closer, and it soon becomes clear that Rafi will do anything to maintain their friendship. Rafi’s matter-of-fact narration efficiently encapsulates her self-deception, boundless obsession, and increasingly delusional stalking, making for a compulsive read. Rafi and Nico cue as white; Laney is of Filipino descent. Ages 14–up. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency. (Sept.)