Kiss me first by Lottie Moggach
Sorry George Orwell, I have a new favourite book and it isn't 1984!
"Kiss me first" is Lottie Moggach's first novel and it was so good I wrote my first ever fan letter to her. The novel follows a social outsider (by choice) Leila and her seemingly average life, until she finds a very special website named "Red Pill".
This website consists of a series of forums discussing topics such as religion, philosophy and ethics. Its name came about because of the first "Matrix" film whereby Neo, the main character or "chosen one" is told to choose between two pills. The blue pill will put him to sleep and he won't remember anything about the recent trauma he has faced, but the red pill will allow Morpheus and the others to show him the truth behind the world. Leila finds happiness posting in this website as she works from home and has limited social interaction since her mother, whom was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) passed away.
After a few weeks of posting, Leila becomes a prominent member and is asked by the creator of the website, Adrian, to meet F2F (Face to face) about becoming an "Elite Thinker" which is a title reserved only for the most loyal members of the website, those that contribute the most also.
After meeting Adrian, he asks her about suicide. Leila replies that she believes people have ownership of their own bodies and if they wish to end their life then they should be allowed to. Adrian smiles and responds that he knows of a sane woman whom wishes to end her life, but wants her family and friends to think she is still alive. The woman, Tess, is looking for someone to impersonate her online and is willing to pay them.
Leila agrees to this arrangement and all I can say is, it changes her life forever.
I can't recommend this novel enough. It's funny, has aspects of romance in it, suspense, drama... it's just a brilliant novel that is will written and everyone should read it.
