Imaginary Friend

Stephen Chbosky is the author of the multi-million-copy bestselling debut novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In 2012, Chbosky wrote and directed an acclaimed film adaptation of his novel, starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. He also directed the acclaimed 2017 film Wonder starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay. Imaginary Friend is Chbosky's long-awaited second novel.

One of the Best Books of Fall 2019 as chosen by People, EW, LitHub, Vox, Bustle, Good Housekeeping, Pop Sugar, Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, Associated Press, and more

"Chbosky's horror writing stands on its own...a gleeful meditation...the nine years Chbosky reportedly spent writing the book shows in his well-crafted scares, snappy pacing and finely tuned plot. Imaginary Friend is well worth the time for those who dare."―TIME magazine

"If you aren't blown away by the first fifty pages of Imaginary Friend, you need to get your sense of wonder checked."―Joe Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman and NOS4A2

"A haunting and thrilling novel pulsing with the radical empathy that makes Chbosky's work so special."―John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars

"If you grew up reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you won't want to miss this spooky, surreal thriller...You'll feel locked in the battle between good and evil as Kate and Christopher fight for their lives."―Good Housekeeping

"A creepy horror yarn that would do Stephen King proud...The reader will want to be sure that no one is hiding behind the chair...That's the nature of a good scary story---and this one is excellent. A pleasing book for those who like to scare themselves silly, one to read with the lights on and the door bolted."―Kirkus

"Reminiscent of the epic novels of Stephen King...With multiple points of view that probe the thoughts and nightmares of characters from all over town, this is an immersive read that walks the line between dark fantasy and horror [and] reads like a season of Stranger Things ... [Imaginary Friend] will sell itself to readers who have waited twenty years for a new novel from Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 1999), but horror fans will also be curious. A big, scary book."―Booklist

"Like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Imaginary Friend says that no matter how dark the places you have been or the things you have seen, no one and nothing and nowhere is beyond redemption. What is astonishing and laugh-out-loud genius is that Chbosky has disguised all this wisdom in an entertaining thriller. In true Stephen Chbosky style, he gives you the bran and the doughnut. Spiritual enlightenment and horror. I don't know how he did it. But he did it. It's a masterpiece."―Emma Watson, actor and activist

"An unputdownable, extraordinary book. Stephen Chbosky manages to combine the heart and emotion that suffuses all of his work with Stephen King chills. The pages practically turn themselves."―Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl

"Sure, this unputdownable book is the scariest thing I've read in a long time. Mysterious woods. Evil forces. Unseen worlds. But it's also, like everything Chbosky does, imbued with heart and soul. You'll fall in love with these characters. That's why they stay with you, like a haunting."―R. J. Palacio, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wonder