Endorsed by Bret Easton Ellis on Twitter, the debut novel from Vanity Fair contributor Anolik features many of the hallmarks of Ellis and his contemporary Donna Tartt, including privileged, jaded youth, sex, drugs and violence.
Opening with an irresistible premise – the murder of wildly popular 16-year-old Nica Baker at an exclusive New England boarding school – Dark Rooms tells the story of Grace, Nica’s 17-year-old sister, who investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding her sibling’s death. This serves as a springboard for Anolik to explore contemporary teen life, a world upon which she casts a refreshingly cynical eye.
Told in an elegant first-person style reminiscent of the aforementioned Tartt’s The Secret History, Dark Rooms is a hugely compelling thriller and surely one of the finest debuts of the year.