The Subtle Knife

"Full disclosure – when I read this book as a teenager, I found it very stressful, and it was hard for me to enjoy it. Right in the opening, the main character believes they have killed someone. I was an angsty guilt-inclined child, and that was in my mind the absolute worst thing that could happen to anyone, to have become a killer; and it was much too real to me. Now, I would say it’s to the book’s credit that I believed in such a bold opening so absolutely. And re-reading it as an adult, I could relax enough to appreciate the tour de force that follows."