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57 pages 1 hour read

Lisa Jewell

Watching You: A Novel

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

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Background

Cultural Context: Gang Stalking and Targeted Individuals

Over the past 20 years, the phenomenon of gang stalking (also spelled “gangstalking”) has become a common delusion, strengthened through social networks online (Pierre, Joe. “The Paranoid Reality of ‘Targeted Individuals’.” Psychology Today, 26 Feb. 2023). People identifying as targeted individuals (TIs) claim to be surveilled and victimized by large groups of people or organizations. The perceived techniques of these groups also vary from mundane peeping to advanced or even futuristic technologies. Sharing these claims often opens TIs up to social stigma, leading them to rely on online support networks with other TIs.

While many individuals do experience stalking or bullying, psychiatric studies have focused on gang stalking as a common, shared delusion confirmed by others who share the disorder and interact online. These online communities tend to reinforce and enable delusions, and members who seek medical assistance or therapy are denounced (Tait, Amelia. “‘Am I Going Crazy or Am I Being Stalked?’ Inside the Disturbing Online World of Gangstalking.” MIT Technology Review, 2 Dec. 2021). In some cases, a traumatic event (such as witnessing a crime) triggers the delusion, but other people struggle to identify an origin. Either way, TIs use their personal experiences as evidence, interpreting them as the results of an antagonistic conspiracy.

The delusion makes it difficult for TIs to differentiate between fact and fiction and for their audiences to believe them. People around them sometimes begin to distrust them as a reflex, which can lead to the neglect of real dangers and trauma. For example, Jenna’s mother is correct about recognizing Tom Fitzwilliam, but Jenna initially dismisses the claim as part of the delusion.

Genre Context: The Psychological Thriller

The roots of the psychological thriller go back to the early works of Edgar Allan Poe and Fyodor Dostoevsky, who explored the darkest recesses of the mind, but the genre gained popularity in the early 20th century, responding to developments in the field of psychoanalysis.

Today’s thrillers focus on the complexities of the human psyche with narratives that feature intricate plots, unreliable narrators, and unexpected twists. These books frequently explore unstable boundaries between truth and fiction, between surfaces and interiors, and between self and other.

Common settings include suburban neighborhoods and small towns. Their closed communities and social norms create expectations, which psychological thrillers subvert. Novels often reveal the surprising secrets of residents and underscore the difficulty of fully knowing anyone—even oneself.

In Watching You, the character of Tom Fitzwilliam serves as a focus for others’ fantasies and suspicions, driving the plot. The reader discovers that the worst speculation is untrue—he is innocent of the predatory acts and murders variously attributed to him—but Jewell never offers the reader a look behind the curtain, ending the book without answering the question: who is Tom Fitzwilliam? This indeterminacy is also a feature of the genre, and authors frequently resolve the central mystery of the text while leaving room for speculation and interpretation.

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