First published 2003
Wesley moves through his world crackling with restless energy and sharp humor. He shows kindness to animals while his wit cuts deep. A group of obsessed followers trail behind him everywhere he goes. They wait around corners and appear wherever he travels. Wesley calls them his Behindlings. Each follower brings strange habits and questionable motives to their shared mission. They all want Wesley for themselves. Their disagreements dissolve when they focus on their common target. Meanwhile Catherine Turpin stays in her bed while others broadcast her failures across town. Someone paints her mistakes on walls for everyone to see. Jo Bean joins Wesley's followers but breaks away from the pack. She becomes more interested in confronting Catherine than chasing Wesley with the others. Her choice unravels the twisted plots that bound the group together. Wesley runs forward while his followers scramble behind him.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
544 pages · Hardcover · Ecco
Content warnings: mental-illness