I went in expecting this to be a thriller, but it gave more 'coming-of-age' to me. That said, I really enjoyed it and I thought the themes were really interesting and handled very well. Definitely will recommend readers look at the content warnings because it was quite a tough read and I personally haven't experienced many of the same things firsthand. I've had a couple of the author's previous books on my to-read list for quite a while and I will definitely be going back to check them out after this.

This was only ok for me, Even though it was difficult subject matter it didn't hold my attention. It felt more like reading a conversation that reading a story. I wished I felt more engaged throughout.

I really love Catherine Hernandez's writing. This story was not at all what I expected, but I like her character's so much. They are always complicated, often flawed and always well realized. I thought this might be more of a thriller, but it was really the story of one woman's life and family, history and complicated present. The connection to the Scarborough rapist was interesting and certainly gave context to the world Alma came of age in. It also, I think, really gave a sense of urgency to the story with her son.

Title: Behind You
Author: Catherine Hernandez
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: May 7, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC from HarperCollins Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Daring • Layered • Compelling

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Alma is a Filipina woman who works as a film editor for a cheesy True Crime series featuring the most notorious killers of the 20th century called Infamous. On the surface she seems to live a good life with her wife Nira and teenage son, Mateo. But there is so much left unsaid.

It's not until Infamous' last episode features the Scarborough Stalker that she remembers coming of age while the serial rapist and killer was attacking women and girls in Scarborough in the late 80s and early 90s.

What unfolds are two storylines: In the past, young Alma watches an entire city become consumed with a manhunt for an elusive, terrifying suspect, while she herself is in jeopardy from closer corners. In the present, adult Alma must come to terms with her own ideas of consent to stop her son's dangerous behaviour towards his girlfriend.

💭 T H O U G H T S

If you've been following my reading life over the past couple of years, you'll know how much of a fan I am of Canadian author Catherine Hernandez. Her 2024 release Behind You was an easy add to my most anticipated list and it did not disappoint!

This coming-of-age story, which is loosely based on the Scarborough Stalker case, is told in a dual timeline format, switching back and forth between the present and the late 80s/early 90s when a stalker is terrorizing the community. While the focus of so many books is on the crimes, Hernandez takes a different route, focusing on the community. She brings to life the anxiety and turmoil felt by the entire community being terrorized and how it's our relationships that hold us together. Beyond that she opens up important dialogue on rape culture and victimization, the crucial importance of consent, women's safety, homophobia, complicated biological family relationships, and the importance of having people in your corner.

Like her previous novels, the character development really brings the characters to life. Falling on the shorter side, it covers a lot of ground, meaning the pacing is quite fast. The present day true crime element was a clever plot device and was incredibly well executed. When I got to the final page, the many meanings behind the title really left me reflecting. It really is one of the best uses of a title I have come across. This is certainly a book I could see myself coming back to in the future.

Behind You is by no means an easy read, yet it is one that will linger in my mind long after finishing it. While geographically set in Canada, the content is universally relevant and a book I'd recommend to the masses. I just found out it has already been optioned for the big screen and have no doubt it will be just as impactful there. I will continue to sing Catherine Hernandez's praise and recommend her books any chance I get.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• stories based loosely on true events
• true crime elements
• strong female protagonist

⚠️ CW: murder, death, child death, bullying, stalking, pedophilia, child abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, homophobia, lesbophobia, misogyny, sexism, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual violence, rape, mental illness, eating disorder, medical content, dementia, pregnancy, gaslighting, sexual content, racism

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"That this would be about her life. Not her death."

Oh boy this was not an easy read in regards to content warnings, my heart absolutely broke for Alma and all the trauma she suffered as a child but I loved the tie to her future and the closure that came from a well known true crime.

Hernandez really brings the Scarborough neighborhood to life in her books and her characters are so well developed.

Another hit by a dynamic Canadian author.

This must read suspenseful book from Canadian author Hernandez is based loosely on true events and follows Alma, a Filipina film editor for Infamous, a corny true crime series. When their latest episode features a local stalker who terrorized her neighbourhood when Alma was a child, her past starts coming back to haunt her. Told in flashbacks jumping from past to present, I was equally enthralled by the representation of the terror this serial rapist had on Alma and her family as a young girl as I was by her present situation dealing with her wife, her son and his potentially troublesome actions.

This book addresses head on the blame culture that women deal with when we talk about sexual assault. It's the woman's fault if she dresses inappropriately. It is her responsibility to always be looking behind her. Alma experiences abuse and aggressions as a child that she is still working to overcome. I especially appreciated the story line when, after Alma's son damages school property while doing something threatening to a girl, Alma storms off when the principal is more concerned about the property than a person. It makes you think about the lessons we pass down to our children in teaching them what is and isn't okay. A very interesting take on misogyny, female blame, rape culture, and the lasting effects of coming of age when you're living in fear. This book has already been optioned for film and television so run to pick your copy up before you see it on the big screen! This will be a hit for fans of Bright Young Women.

I really, REALLY enjoyed this brilliant new novel from a fav Canadian author! In Behind you, we get thrust back into late 1980s and early 90s Scarborough when a serial rapist and stalker is on the loose, terrifying the women of Toronto.

The coming of age story follows young Alma, a queer Filipino girl growing up in the city and trying to fit in with her peers and make her boyfriend happy by pretending to be hetero and pleasing him sexually until things escalate one night and she is heartbreakingly raped.

Alternating between the past and the present, we also get to see more of Alma's life as a proud partner, mother and daughter and her struggles to find acceptance as an out queer woman even among her family.

Incredibly moving and at times difficult to read, my heart went out to Alma sooo many times but I loved how she found solace and friendship with her lesbian school librarian. This was also amazing on audio narrated by the author herself! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: teen pregnancy, rape, sexual assault, Anti-Asian racism

With her latest editing project opening the dams of her memory, Alma Alvarez speaks to the victim of a long ago murder, Victoria Ruiz, as she works through editing footage for a show on Victoria’s murderer. Alma had been a child in the neighbourhood, the daughter of a Filipina immigrant, struggling with her sexuality and the abuse she got at home. As an adult, Alma is married to Nira, a teacher, and they have one son, Mateo. Her life is good - but the project is eating her alive, and making her remember the difficulty of her childhood.

Hernandez is a beautiful writer, and that’s once again showcased here, but I felt it missed the mark. The framing device of talking to Victoria was used too sparingly, and with very little effect. The connection felt tenuous, and while that may have been the intention, it didn’t really work. I loved exploring Alma’s life and memories, but the weakness of the framing device was a drawback.

Catherine Hernandez is one of my favourite authors so I'm not surprised to have loved this. Her characters have souls that connect with me, bringing me back to the page to see how their lives will turn out. This one, despite the turmoil of the characters' lives, ends again with joy.

The dual timeline worked for me, slowly unfolding Alma's past to make the present make sense.

It's not about them, the men who hurt women, rape women, kill women. It's about the women who hold each other together after the destruction. Sometimes in imperfect ways, sometimes in just the right way.

<i>Behind You</i>'s title is full of meaning; at first it's clear that it's referencing the police's condescending advice to women to not walk alone at night, to look where you're going because the Scarborough Stalker might be <i>behind you</i> and you need to be on the defensive. But it's also about who is behind you, who is in your corner. Who has your back no matter what. And how your past, what's behind you, doesn't have to define how you move forward. Though your history, your culture, your ancestors, will always be behind you guiding the way.

I read this at the same time as Ma and Me by Putsata Reang and found there to be lots of dialogue between the two books. Queer southeast Asian women and their fractured relationships with their moms, the women who did everything to scaffold their daughters to (their own version of) success.

I love all Hernandez's books and this is no exception. They have natural-feeling, spotlighted queer characters with quite fast pacing that draws you into the story, making it hard to put the book down. Her beautiful writing and dialogue brings tears to my eyes. They are feel-good stories despite covering hard topics. This one covers rape culture and consent, multifaceted relationships with family (love and abuse), and the healing found in a chosen family.

A story loosely based on true events, Behind You, the latest novel from talented Canadian author Catherine Hernandez explores the impact a prolific criminal has on the community affected. The focus is less on the crimes and more on the anxiety created by his actions.

The main character of Alma Alvarez is a preteen when the Scarborough Stalker case comes to light in the media. She is trying to fit in with her classmates while being teased for being different. Her home life leaves much to be desired. Yes, her mother loves her but she also seems to hate her somewhat. Chapters alternate between this time period and that of the present when Alma is editing a true crime series about serial killers including the Scarborough Stalker, living with her wife and teenage son who is struggling with boundaries in his own romance.

As with Hernandez’s other books that I have read, she excels at character development and in carefully examining societal issues. I loved the awkwardness of the young Alma and how she lifted right off the page for me. Her pain and naivety and the beautiful relationship with a trusted teacher. She tugged at my heart and also made it feel whole.

The author has really captured the era of Alma’s childhood and of the misogynistic actions that people dismissed at the time. I won’t forget the tickle of the palm when the neighbour shakes her hand and can remember similar experiences in my own life at that time. The lack of acceptance for who one loves or is attracted to is also central to the story as is Alma’s Filipino heritage. Behind You is a marvellous novel and one that I won’t soon forget.

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollinsca for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Behind You publishes May 7, 2024. I hope you will consider picking it up. It is worth your while!

Catherine Hernandez has done it again!! Behind You has confirmed my love for Hernandez’s writing.

Splitting the story between the present and Scarborough in the late 80s and early 90s, we meet Alma, currently working as a film editor for a true-crime documentary company. While she excels at her work, her latest project slams her back into her childhood, when a serial rapist/murderer was terrorizing her neighborhood.

This novel examines the effects of childhood trauma decades later, for victims, friends, family and the community as a whole. The definitions of family, particularly in the queer community, sexism, racism, and how marriages can handle trauma are topics that Hernandez handles with great skill. I am simply wowed.

Many, many thanks to Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for offering an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This novel will be released May 7, 2024.

I absolutely adored this novel. There were so many elements at play and all were so well-executed. I loved the dual timeline, all centred around our main character. The representation in “Behind You” was also so important, I especially loved seeing an older lesbian couple of diverse race, having been married and “settled” for decades, dealing with the issues that come with trauma and long term relationships. This perspective is one that is incredibly rare in sapphic literature and I loved that element.
Having the two timelines centering around one character, and seeing the abuse and trauma felt over their lifetime, was incredibly powerful.
I absolutely devoured this book and will be reading the rest of Catherine Hernandez’s work.