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The Babysitter
The Babysitter
Dec 6, 2025 8:11 AM

Author:Robert Coover

The Babysitter

'She arrives at 7.40, ten minutes late...' She babysits for Mr and Mrs Tucker. She has left a boyfriend alone for the evening. From this seemingly simple start Robert Coover masterfully explores the subtle barrier between 'reality' and thought. As the babysitter triggers the men's sexual fantasies, their erotic imaginations twist into alternative narratives simultaneously experienced by the reader: she does or does not take a bath; she does or does not invite her boyfriend over; she does or does not get caught unawares by Mr Tucker. In a profusion of happenings and imaginings, Coover layers moment upon moment, narrative upon narrative, to shatter the timeline of one evening into a multiplicity of events - contradictory, simultaneous, but all equally 'real'.

Reviews

The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable ... It is a place where things are not what they seem; even on a morning that is sunny and clear there is always the threat of darkness looming, of things taking a turn for the worse

—— A. M. Homes

Shirley Jackson is unparalleled as a leader in the field of beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders

—— Dorothy Parker

Shirley Jackson is one of those highly idiosyncratic, inimitable writers ... whose work exerts an enduring spell

—— Joyce Carol Oates

What a marvellous writer...and what a Kenya it was

—— Financial Times

It’s a treat to read such a satisfying, complex work

—— Financial Times

As with Haig’s other crossover novels The Radleys and The Humans, this combines a cracking plot with profound philosophical questions about what it is to be human. Fearless and beautifully written, it confirms Haig as one of our best new writers of speculative fiction

—— Amanda Craig , New Statesman

Matt Haig uses words like a tin-opener. We are the tin

—— Jeanette Winterson

Haig brings to life a terrifying and claustrophobic dystopian future. The future we are shown in Echo Boy is dark and disturbing, but there is hope. Hope that whatever terrors await, you can't put out "the irrepressible light" inside a person

—— Telegraph

Poignant and thought-provoking

—— The Bookseller

Will appeal as much to adults as teenagers . . . Enough action, adventure and tension with a slight dusting of romance to keep anyone enthralled . . . Matt Haig has penned a number of hugely popular adult and young children's novels and if Echo Boy is anything to go by, he's on the way to steal the YA market too . . . It's his unique depth of writing that makes Matt Haig's work such compelling reading

—— Starburst

Matt Haig's first young adult novel is a thrilling science-fiction roller-coaster ride. The combination of romance and dystopia may be a familiar concept for young adult fiction, but Haig gives it his own distinctive spin, bringing freshness and a huge amount of imagination to this well-trodden territory . . . Echo Boy will keep young readers on the edge of their seats - but will also leave them with questions and philosophical problems to ponder

—— Booktrust

A fun read with an intriguing setting

—— SFX

An infinitely rewarding novel . . . The futuristic world is imagined in such detail it begins to live before one’s eyes

—— Literature Works

YA sci-fi fans will love this one . . . Definitely a book I’m going to be recommending

—— Feeling Fictional

This is strong, relentless stuff. Matt Haig's universe is impressively consistent in every detail. We inescapably inhabit this world. The plot is chillingly taut

—— Books for Keeps
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