REVIEWS and PRESS

"Terrifying and terrifyingly good." —Vanity Fair

"[An] assured, unnerving first novel ... DeLeeuw's fine, taut prose conjures vivid images that hint at danger. ... He draws us into a world where psychological warfare is a way of life, and his characters' understandings of who they are develop into a gripping mystery. ... Haunting and persuasive." —Los Angeles Times

"In This Way I Was Saved distinguishes itself through its striking narration. Daniel may be 'nothing, an idea, a notion, a collection of feelings', but he has a wickedly persuasive voice. ... There is some fine comedy in his simultaneous disgust for 'ludicrous, inefficient bodies' and his very adolescent yearning for them. But the dominant tone is much darker. DeLeeuw’s precise, vivid prose has that visceral power of both a successful psychological thriller and a gripping ghost story." —Daily Telegraph (UK)

"A mysterious, psychologically craggy and highly readable New York novel." —Time Out New York

"[A] creepily compelling tale ... [I]ts macabre climax will leave even the most rational reader feeling a little spooked." —Daily Mail (UK)

"DeLeeuw debuts with a strange tale seething with disturbing psychological overtones. ... Hitchcock would have loved the premise." —Kirkus Reviews

"DeLeeuw's debut novel is a riveting exploration of the dark side of self.... Suspenseful and terrifying, this tale about one's shadow self running rampant is highly recommended."
—Library Journal (starred review)

"DeLeeuw's spellbinding debut is told from the point of view of a being who assumes the persona and desires of a boy's repressed self. ... DeLeeuw delivers a neat bundling of the classic story of a spirit possessing an innocent with the Jungian shadow self."
—Publisher's Weekly

"Think human porosity, epic loneliness, and tyrannosaurus spit." —Flavorwire Click here for the complete Q&A.

"For a young child, having an imaginary friend is not all that unusual... What if as the child grew up, the friend resisted leaving? 'What if he refuses to go away,' thought Brian DeLeeuw ’03, whose debut novel was sparked by that notion." —Princeton Alumni Weekly's Blog Click here for the complete article

Find In This Way I Was Saved on New York Magazine's Approval Matrix

In This Way I Was Saved was featured on Entertainment Weekly's Shelf Life blog

"In many ways Saved is the ultimate postmodern polemic, incorporating themes of the nature of storytelling, meta-narratives and literary deconstruction, disguised as an exhilarating suspense novel. It’s the sort of book that readers will force their friends to read, and it will no doubt start many discussions about what constitutes the self. ... Don’t be surprised to see In This Way I Was Saved show up on a lot of "Best Of" lists this year. DeLeeuw has written a stunning, fast-paced, well-plotted, and well-written novel that satisfies on just about every level. Daniel, Luke, and their story will stick with readers for years to come." —Hipster Book Club Click here for the full review

"There have been plenty of stories involving imaginary friends but few have been as original as In This Way I Was Saved. The prose in Brian DeLeeuw's debut novel is as tight and urgent as the thoughts of six-year-old Luke ... DeLeeuw drops clues about the possible outcome throughout the book, while weaving in sufficient uncertainty about transmigration and mental illness to make it utterly tense and compelling." —The Morning Star (UK), "Star Reads of 2009"

Watch Simon & Schuster's video interview with the author.

PRAISE

"Original, subversive, funny, twisted, and totally engrossing, In This Way I Was Saved is a mind-bending tour de force. I read the last page, flipped back to the beginning, and immediately started it again."
—Chelsea Cain, author of Heartsick and Sweetheart

"Elegant, unsettling and wildly original, In This Way I Was Saved reads like a coming-of-age-story with the heart of a nasty thriller."
—Gillian Flynn, author of Sharp Objects and Dark Places

"In this original, inventive debut, Brian DeLeeuw delivers a suspenseful and surprisingly tender psychological thriller that gives physical shape to the torment of isolation."
—Helen Schulman, author of A Day At The Beach

“In This Way I Was Saved is a frightening, gripping tale about a sadistic secret sharer, a shadow self who is ready to devour its host. This is one of the most fascinating and controlled first novels I've ever read—a sustained performance that hypnotizes and terrifies the reader.”
—Edmund White, author of A Boy’s Own Story

“More than brothers, less than friends, linked for life: the relationship between Daniel and Luke is unique in the annals of literature, and will keep you guessing right until the book reaches its inevitable conclusion. I haven’t been this entertained by a debut novel in years.”
—Dale Peck, author of What We Lost and Body Surfing

"In This Way I Was Saved gave me chills, not only for its dead-on depiction of the searing loneliness of a hermetically sealed mind, but because it is so thrillingly well-executed. A superb first novel.”
—Kate Christensen, author of Trouble and The Great Man