What do you think?
Rate this book
Attention-Seeking Behavior
A confession from a liar that exposes the interrelation of language, control, performance, intimacy, and love
I have never told anyone about this before. There is no way to prove that it happened, but why would I lie?
The narrator of Attention-Seeking Behavior wants to tell you about Normal Ben, the man she’s been their running jokes, the stories she’s told him. She wants to tell you about the incorrect belief that tiny facial expressions betray a person’s real feelings. She wants to tell you about the time she went to a therapist to try to cure her lying habit. She wants to tell you about the body she found on a walk through the park. She wants to tell you about lies she’s told her demeaning, erratic boss. She wants to tell you about the history of police interrogation techniques, which use deception to extract false confessions. She wants to tell you that all lie-detection methods are phony. She wants to tell you what it’s like to read opposing testimonies in a sexual assault case. She wants to tell you about her ex-boyfriend, who is a liar. But is she telling you the truth—or does she only want your attention?
I have never told anyone about this before. There is no way to prove that it happened, but why would I lie?
The narrator of Attention-Seeking Behavior wants to tell you about Normal Ben, the man she’s been their running jokes, the stories she’s told him. She wants to tell you about the incorrect belief that tiny facial expressions betray a person’s real feelings. She wants to tell you about the time she went to a therapist to try to cure her lying habit. She wants to tell you about the body she found on a walk through the park. She wants to tell you about lies she’s told her demeaning, erratic boss. She wants to tell you about the history of police interrogation techniques, which use deception to extract false confessions. She wants to tell you that all lie-detection methods are phony. She wants to tell you what it’s like to read opposing testimonies in a sexual assault case. She wants to tell you about her ex-boyfriend, who is a liar. But is she telling you the truth—or does she only want your attention?
200 pages, Paperback
Published May 19, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
May 26, 2026
Allegedly the amygdala, that small almond structure in the limbic system, the seat of your brain, knows the truth and it reveals itself in microexpressions. You can try to lie—make your gestures and expressions match how you should be moving—but apparently the amygdala knows the truth and will always give you away in a split second. Anyone could read the signs, with training.
This is not true, but many people believe it, therefore it is as true as any other fact may be.
Attention-Seeking Behaviour by Aea Varfis-van Warmelo, published by Peninsula Press (see below) is a wonderful hybrid of confessional fiction and essay. The narrator, who we learn late on in the novel is called Aea, opens with a confession of sort, one she later makes to her boyfriend (although she is not monogamous) who she refers to as Normal Ben:
You should know that when I found the body I did not scream.
On the phone, I feigned humanity. I performed the inflections of a person overwhelmed and confused, but the fact was ‘no, he is definitely not breathing and there is no pulse.’ I stood by him patiently as we waited for the police to arrive, hoping no dog walkers or joggers would amble near. I admit I drank my coffee, though I put my croissant in my bag for later.
The police asked their many questions and I was pragmatic in my answers. I felt like I was their colleague, my memory was so clear and my recounting so efficient. I felt like I answered in a way that suggested I was inured to horrors—humbled by them, perhaps, but no longer frightened. I said the precise time I had found the body (I’d checked), I indicated what footprints in the snow were mine and I described his original position, before I’d moved him to check for breath and pulse. They said I’d been very helpful, but I think they say that to everyone.
The man concerned someone she discovered frozen to death in Battersea Park.
Except this is one of a number of bodies the narrator claims (to her friends; to the reader; to herself?) to have discovered, and the first-sign that this is the avowedly unreliable narrator, since Aea is keen to tell us the reader, if equally keen to conceal this from Normal Ben, that she is a liar, indeed the confession came during an awkward moment in their relationship and 'it didn’t even occur to me to tell him something true'.
You should know I’ve never told anyone I am a liar before. You should know I know the consequences of making this confession.
Her other predilection is toward debunking the science, or rather, in her view supported by citing research, the pseudo-science of lie detection - the reading of facial tics popularised by Paul Ekman (her particular bête noire); those trained using these techniques to spot liars (she points out the evidence suggests this is not an acquirable skill, rather the person acquires confidence in their own abilities leading to an increase in false reading); polygraphs; and interrogation methods such as the Reid technique.
This is dealt with part is amusing polemic - here polygraph operators:
Several summaries I read about the profession warn that this role requires undertaking a training course, accreditation from established agencies, and is best suited to those who can drive and own a car because they will have to transport their own equpment to each job. Incidentally this is incredibly similar to what it takes to be a professional clown, but entry to clowning schools is more competitive. The people who become polygraph examiners do tend to have a background in law enforcement, and I can only assume that they discovered a proclivity or talent for interrogation in the line of duty and that this passion developed into the pursuit of further study.
and partly in cited facts (Wiki novel style), for example that the Reid technique was developed from the successful way in which its creator John E. Reid had gained a confession in 1955 from Darrel Parker for the rape and murder of his wife ... decades later the conviction was proven to be an error, yet the technique is still used by law enforcement, in the US particularly (see https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...). Or that an experiment about reducing dishonesty in insurance applications proved to be based on falsified data (albeit the experimenters claimed they were unaware) - see here.
The main story explores the narrator's relationship with Normal Ben (one driven by his misassumptions based on her false statements) as well as her research work for a US journalist, including into a present-day rape case which ended with no trial, which she enhances (in her view, if not her clients) with her own interpretations.
Or at least so she tells us ...
Extract of novel's opening: https://electricliterature.com/attent...
Interview: https://www.anothermag.com/design-liv...
The publisher
Peninsula Press is an independent publisher founded in East London by booksellers.
Peninsula started publishing in 2018. Since then it has grown into one of the UK’s boldest and liveliest publishers of boundary-pushing fiction and essay, with a list that includes new and established authors.
There is no template for what constitutes a Peninsula book. However, one thing that brings together every book on our list is a commitment to challenging, subverting, or simply sidestepping received forms, formulas, and habits of thought. Our books all share a boldness of vision and a dedication to style as the way to realise it.
A peninsula is a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water yet attached to the mainland. We have chosen this as the name of our publisher because we believe it captures the mixture of independence and connection that defines our publishing: our desire to reach for something new while remaining grounded in the community of readers, writers, booksellers, workers, and other publishers who sustain us.
This is not true, but many people believe it, therefore it is as true as any other fact may be.
Attention-Seeking Behaviour by Aea Varfis-van Warmelo, published by Peninsula Press (see below) is a wonderful hybrid of confessional fiction and essay. The narrator, who we learn late on in the novel is called Aea, opens with a confession of sort, one she later makes to her boyfriend (although she is not monogamous) who she refers to as Normal Ben:
You should know that when I found the body I did not scream.
On the phone, I feigned humanity. I performed the inflections of a person overwhelmed and confused, but the fact was ‘no, he is definitely not breathing and there is no pulse.’ I stood by him patiently as we waited for the police to arrive, hoping no dog walkers or joggers would amble near. I admit I drank my coffee, though I put my croissant in my bag for later.
The police asked their many questions and I was pragmatic in my answers. I felt like I was their colleague, my memory was so clear and my recounting so efficient. I felt like I answered in a way that suggested I was inured to horrors—humbled by them, perhaps, but no longer frightened. I said the precise time I had found the body (I’d checked), I indicated what footprints in the snow were mine and I described his original position, before I’d moved him to check for breath and pulse. They said I’d been very helpful, but I think they say that to everyone.
The man concerned someone she discovered frozen to death in Battersea Park.
Except this is one of a number of bodies the narrator claims (to her friends; to the reader; to herself?) to have discovered, and the first-sign that this is the avowedly unreliable narrator, since Aea is keen to tell us the reader, if equally keen to conceal this from Normal Ben, that she is a liar, indeed the confession came during an awkward moment in their relationship and 'it didn’t even occur to me to tell him something true'.
You should know I’ve never told anyone I am a liar before. You should know I know the consequences of making this confession.
Her other predilection is toward debunking the science, or rather, in her view supported by citing research, the pseudo-science of lie detection - the reading of facial tics popularised by Paul Ekman (her particular bête noire); those trained using these techniques to spot liars (she points out the evidence suggests this is not an acquirable skill, rather the person acquires confidence in their own abilities leading to an increase in false reading); polygraphs; and interrogation methods such as the Reid technique.
This is dealt with part is amusing polemic - here polygraph operators:
Several summaries I read about the profession warn that this role requires undertaking a training course, accreditation from established agencies, and is best suited to those who can drive and own a car because they will have to transport their own equpment to each job. Incidentally this is incredibly similar to what it takes to be a professional clown, but entry to clowning schools is more competitive. The people who become polygraph examiners do tend to have a background in law enforcement, and I can only assume that they discovered a proclivity or talent for interrogation in the line of duty and that this passion developed into the pursuit of further study.
and partly in cited facts (Wiki novel style), for example that the Reid technique was developed from the successful way in which its creator John E. Reid had gained a confession in 1955 from Darrel Parker for the rape and murder of his wife ... decades later the conviction was proven to be an error, yet the technique is still used by law enforcement, in the US particularly (see https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...). Or that an experiment about reducing dishonesty in insurance applications proved to be based on falsified data (albeit the experimenters claimed they were unaware) - see here.
The main story explores the narrator's relationship with Normal Ben (one driven by his misassumptions based on her false statements) as well as her research work for a US journalist, including into a present-day rape case which ended with no trial, which she enhances (in her view, if not her clients) with her own interpretations.
Or at least so she tells us ...
Extract of novel's opening: https://electricliterature.com/attent...
Interview: https://www.anothermag.com/design-liv...
The publisher
Peninsula Press is an independent publisher founded in East London by booksellers.
Peninsula started publishing in 2018. Since then it has grown into one of the UK’s boldest and liveliest publishers of boundary-pushing fiction and essay, with a list that includes new and established authors.
There is no template for what constitutes a Peninsula book. However, one thing that brings together every book on our list is a commitment to challenging, subverting, or simply sidestepping received forms, formulas, and habits of thought. Our books all share a boldness of vision and a dedication to style as the way to realise it.
A peninsula is a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water yet attached to the mainland. We have chosen this as the name of our publisher because we believe it captures the mixture of independence and connection that defines our publishing: our desire to reach for something new while remaining grounded in the community of readers, writers, booksellers, workers, and other publishers who sustain us.
Want to Read
June 19, 2026Thank you to Graywolf Press for the ARC! This premise sounds mind bending (complimentary)
Substack | Bookstagram | BookTok | BookTube | Bookshop.org Store | Libro.fm Bonus Offer
Substack | Bookstagram | BookTok | BookTube | Bookshop.org Store | Libro.fm Bonus Offer
July 15, 2026
Thank you Aea Varfis-van Warmelo and NetGalley for the free audiobook of this novella.
I think many of us in this world know someone like the main character of this story. Someone who can't help but lie because they just don't feel their own lives are that interesting. As the title suggests the Attention Seeking Behaviour is needed for them to feel important and worth while.
The problem with this, is when you discover this person is a liar it puts into question everything they ever have or will tell you, which in turn, triggers their fear of your loss of attention and the liar doubles down.
I enjoyed how the author explores this idea and mixes in factual information about lying and how it is used in law enforcement but at the same time you know she's lying to everyone around her making the entire narrative she is expressing in this novel put in question. Definitely a bit of a mind f*ck.
Interesting read.
I think many of us in this world know someone like the main character of this story. Someone who can't help but lie because they just don't feel their own lives are that interesting. As the title suggests the Attention Seeking Behaviour is needed for them to feel important and worth while.
The problem with this, is when you discover this person is a liar it puts into question everything they ever have or will tell you, which in turn, triggers their fear of your loss of attention and the liar doubles down.
I enjoyed how the author explores this idea and mixes in factual information about lying and how it is used in law enforcement but at the same time you know she's lying to everyone around her making the entire narrative she is expressing in this novel put in question. Definitely a bit of a mind f*ck.
Interesting read.
March 29, 2026
The way this book is composed is so interesting to me: it’s the type of memoir where you can’t quite tell what is nonfiction and what is speculation. The narrator/author does an incredible job articulating the nuance of her thought process and plays out her interactions with wit and grace, but I could have done without the droning chapters of scientific context about polygraphs and police proceedings. Aside from that bore the relationships between the other characters and our pro(an?)tagonist are so raw and written beautifully. Definitely thought provoking, and what more could you ask for out of a book?
July 20, 2026
I have never told anyone about this before. There is no way to prove that it happened, but why would I lie?
Attention seeking behaviour is basically a story told by a woman where she recounts events in a way that leaves you doubting all credibility. There is also a huge focus on lying and police procedural which I found fascinating.
This story is the perfect embodiment of the unreliable narrator. Even now, I can't say for certain what all was completely true and what was fabricated or exaggerated.
I think the way this was written is actually pretty brilliant. Parts read like fiction where others nearly feel as if they could be coming from a memoir. Considering this is a debut, I'm won over and will definitely be looking out for more from this author.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Attention seeking behaviour is basically a story told by a woman where she recounts events in a way that leaves you doubting all credibility. There is also a huge focus on lying and police procedural which I found fascinating.
This story is the perfect embodiment of the unreliable narrator. Even now, I can't say for certain what all was completely true and what was fabricated or exaggerated.
I think the way this was written is actually pretty brilliant. Parts read like fiction where others nearly feel as if they could be coming from a memoir. Considering this is a debut, I'm won over and will definitely be looking out for more from this author.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
June 17, 2026
very very good
Read
February 16, 2026Gotta think of my rating on this one, damn! R.T.C!!!
May 21, 2026
This one grew on me. Or maybe it didn’t. I could be lying. You don’t know.
July 19, 2026
i had been waiting for this to release and the prose was as fantastic as i'd hoped, but for me the autofictional aspect of revealing the character to be named aea undercut the entire work. up until then, it was such a well-done character study exploring something complex, but then it just muddled into a self-aggrandizing exercise. this is probably just my general disillusionment with autofiction coming in strong, but as a reader i want to see how this Character (mal)functions with her pathological lying and question her reliability, self-awareness, grasp of reality etc, but i'm deeply uninterested in the autofictional self and find that it actively takes away from the work instead of adding to it! the only question the author-character presents to its readers is: how much of this is "real"? which is way less interesting than the myriad of questions raised by how a work portrays and examines a character.
anyway, extremely skilled writer all the same, and will look forward to her next book.
anyway, extremely skilled writer all the same, and will look forward to her next book.
July 6, 2026
Quite a fluid, interesting and nuanced take on a creative memoir where you are constantly made to doubt what is actually real. I got a little bit tired of reading about lying, but the concept and execution was interesting.
June 17, 2026
Literature is so back !
July 20, 2026
This is one of those books that when you’re reading it you don’t realise how good it is, until you then finish it and you’re shook. Incredibly clever and witty, can’t believe this is a debut novel.
June 16, 2026
Definitely got me thinking, but I'm not sure if I fully have landed on anything articulate.
Review of advance copy
You should know that at the moment of me writing this, Goodreads says that this book isn't published yet but I bought it from my local bookshop this weekend, which I found to be quite an interesting situation.
As for my review:
The book was very fun to read! It flowed very naturally and I couldn't put it down.
It follows an unreliable narrator into what feels like a defining period of her life, being left only with the option to believe things went down as she describes them. I can only assume the author inserted herself in the story due to using her own name for the character. I found Aea to be very introspective about why she did the things she did, as if she owes us an explanation. There's a need for acceptance and fortitude somewhere in those lines.
I have to disagree with all the previous reviewers of the book. The scientific background of the methods & tools of lying I found to be crucial to understand the character itself, and not a boring historical afterthought. It's a liar's attempt to justify their actions, but it's also a desperation to show how easy it was for 19th century practices (due to lack of literally anything else) to establish and govern the policies that build our modern world today. There should be more Paul Ekman slander in the literary world! My only note there was that citing all the research the character was arguing on would've given more credibility to the story. But maybe that was the point, that we will believe solely due to the fun storytelling or the convincing criticism.
I particularly enjoyed the reoccurring theme of the bodies. I might never have this confirmed by the author, but my suspicion was that the first body, the place that she 'found it', is the place where the assault took place. She, throughout the story, sees the bodies at decisive moments in her story, ones that pose a great emotional turmoil to the character.
Rant over.
Anyways very good job on your first book! I hope you keep publishing more in the future! :)
As for my review:
The book was very fun to read! It flowed very naturally and I couldn't put it down.
It follows an unreliable narrator into what feels like a defining period of her life, being left only with the option to believe things went down as she describes them. I can only assume the author inserted herself in the story due to using her own name for the character. I found Aea to be very introspective about why she did the things she did, as if she owes us an explanation. There's a need for acceptance and fortitude somewhere in those lines.
I have to disagree with all the previous reviewers of the book. The scientific background of the methods & tools of lying I found to be crucial to understand the character itself, and not a boring historical afterthought. It's a liar's attempt to justify their actions, but it's also a desperation to show how easy it was for 19th century practices (due to lack of literally anything else) to establish and govern the policies that build our modern world today. There should be more Paul Ekman slander in the literary world! My only note there was that citing all the research the character was arguing on would've given more credibility to the story. But maybe that was the point, that we will believe solely due to the fun storytelling or the convincing criticism.
I particularly enjoyed the reoccurring theme of the bodies. I might never have this confirmed by the author, but my suspicion was that the first body, the place that she 'found it', is the place where the assault took place. She, throughout the story, sees the bodies at decisive moments in her story, ones that pose a great emotional turmoil to the character.
Rant over.
Anyways very good job on your first book! I hope you keep publishing more in the future! :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2026
I have a soft spot for weird girl lit, so the title was a shoo-in for me!
Premise - a nameless narrator with a lying problem tells her tale: of Normal Ben, the man she’s been seeing, and of the body she found while on a walk in the park. She tells about how deception is used in police interrogation to extract false confessions… but circle back to the first li(n)e.
I really enjoyed 'Murder Bimbo' by Rebecca Novack, another story in which the reader spends the bulk of the narrative being lied to, and in which It’s never quite clear whether the truth you parse is the real truth, so I was down for a psychologically uncomfortable read.
This reader is a lot more likeable than that one -- I was surprised to not find her off-putting at all. Her behavior was off-putting, of course, but it's steeped in her pain and she doesn't aim to hurt anyone. She isn't superior or particularly defensive. She's a young woman, struggling, who really needs to learn healthier ways to interact with the world (and healthier attachment patterns in her relationship).
This was a short story, a very quick read. I have to rate it 5 stars, because when it was over I wished it were longer, so I could sit with her for a bit more time. Not even for me necessarily, but for her.🤡 This fictional character. Y'all.😮💨
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Erifyli Gigante. She did a great job, delivering the sort of introspective, gentle, understated read this story required.
Thanks, NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Premise - a nameless narrator with a lying problem tells her tale: of Normal Ben, the man she’s been seeing, and of the body she found while on a walk in the park. She tells about how deception is used in police interrogation to extract false confessions… but circle back to the first li(n)e.
I really enjoyed 'Murder Bimbo' by Rebecca Novack, another story in which the reader spends the bulk of the narrative being lied to, and in which It’s never quite clear whether the truth you parse is the real truth, so I was down for a psychologically uncomfortable read.
This reader is a lot more likeable than that one -- I was surprised to not find her off-putting at all. Her behavior was off-putting, of course, but it's steeped in her pain and she doesn't aim to hurt anyone. She isn't superior or particularly defensive. She's a young woman, struggling, who really needs to learn healthier ways to interact with the world (and healthier attachment patterns in her relationship).
This was a short story, a very quick read. I have to rate it 5 stars, because when it was over I wished it were longer, so I could sit with her for a bit more time. Not even for me necessarily, but for her.🤡 This fictional character. Y'all.😮💨
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Erifyli Gigante. She did a great job, delivering the sort of introspective, gentle, understated read this story required.
Thanks, NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3/5 ⭐️ - Thank you Graywolf Press for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.
This was an interesting and thought provoking piece of experimental fiction. You’re reading from the perspective of an unreliable narrative admitted and proud liar, which was fun but also exhausting haha.
I did enjoy the parts where we actually learning about our narrator and her navigating her life with her work and relationship, however, the chapter sort of bounced back-and-forth between our narrators life and very matter-of-fact descriptions/history of how we have tried to decipher liars in the past, particularly in the court system. We go from a creative fiction narrative to almost a textbook like recounting of the creation of things like body language analysis and the polygraph, ended up skipping over these dry sections as it just did not make me intrigued in the story further at all, and I just wanted to get back to our narrator.
I think this book has a lot to offer and it did keep me thinking about the way I lie in my own life and how others lie, I just wish we spent more time with our actual narrator and learning more about her in-depth personal life versus the educational sections.
This was an interesting and thought provoking piece of experimental fiction. You’re reading from the perspective of an unreliable narrative admitted and proud liar, which was fun but also exhausting haha.
I did enjoy the parts where we actually learning about our narrator and her navigating her life with her work and relationship, however, the chapter sort of bounced back-and-forth between our narrators life and very matter-of-fact descriptions/history of how we have tried to decipher liars in the past, particularly in the court system. We go from a creative fiction narrative to almost a textbook like recounting of the creation of things like body language analysis and the polygraph, ended up skipping over these dry sections as it just did not make me intrigued in the story further at all, and I just wanted to get back to our narrator.
I think this book has a lot to offer and it did keep me thinking about the way I lie in my own life and how others lie, I just wish we spent more time with our actual narrator and learning more about her in-depth personal life versus the educational sections.
July 9, 2026
This was a SUPER interesting read! Most of us have sped — and at the other end of the spectrum, slowly slogged — through unreliable women narrator books. While it’s not my go-to format within a thriller, I was quite interested based on the description.
The novel’s narrator shares her name with the author; I see that cheeky move, Aea! At many points through the book I was confused, and that is very much the intention throughout. I also deeply empathized with the way Aea moved through the world: her internal dialogue, polarity of living, and relational styles. This character was written quite thoughtfully and at the same time, there was no critique or judgment on her mental and psychological health. (Do I need to increase the frequency of my care team appts?! 😬)
The audiobook production was great. I don’t know that I’ve listened to anything narrated by Erifyli Gigante previously, but I’ll seek more out. By utilizing a well-paced narrator with a soothing, trustworthy voice, further doubt comes to play as to what we can/can’t believe from Aea.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the complimentary audiobook listen!
The novel’s narrator shares her name with the author; I see that cheeky move, Aea! At many points through the book I was confused, and that is very much the intention throughout. I also deeply empathized with the way Aea moved through the world: her internal dialogue, polarity of living, and relational styles. This character was written quite thoughtfully and at the same time, there was no critique or judgment on her mental and psychological health. (Do I need to increase the frequency of my care team appts?! 😬)
The audiobook production was great. I don’t know that I’ve listened to anything narrated by Erifyli Gigante previously, but I’ll seek more out. By utilizing a well-paced narrator with a soothing, trustworthy voice, further doubt comes to play as to what we can/can’t believe from Aea.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the complimentary audiobook listen!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Attention-Seeking Behavior goes back and forth between a maybe fictional plot and brief essays about lie detection. It also at times feels more like a memoir. The MC is named after the author, and she talks about changing names to protect identities. The experimentation with genre is interesting and fits the topic well. The MC is a compulsive liar not just to the people around her, but also to the audience, and certainly to herself.
I thought the essays were interesting and added to the story, but when it got back to the narrative, I'd have to go back to recall where we were in the plot. I think I enjoyed the fictional parts. I genuinely felt for the characters and wanted a happy ending, but I almost felt guilty for feeling that way. I never figured out why the MC was seeing dead bodies everywhere, but at least we get confirmation that they're in her head. Somehow that was reassuring.
Overall, I'm walking away from this one pretty confused (about the book and my own feelings about it).
I thought the essays were interesting and added to the story, but when it got back to the narrative, I'd have to go back to recall where we were in the plot. I think I enjoyed the fictional parts. I genuinely felt for the characters and wanted a happy ending, but I almost felt guilty for feeling that way. I never figured out why the MC was seeing dead bodies everywhere, but at least we get confirmation that they're in her head. Somehow that was reassuring.
Overall, I'm walking away from this one pretty confused (about the book and my own feelings about it).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
June 5, 2026“Attention-Seeking Behavior by Aea Varfis-van Warmelo is a psychologically layered and unsettling novel that explores truth, deception, and the instability of perception. Told through a narrator who openly questions her own reliability, the book challenges readers to constantly reassess what is real and what is performance.
What stands out most is the narrative voice. It is intimate, fragmented, and deliberately uncertain, creating a reading experience that feels both confessional and manipulative in equal measure. The novel continuously blurs the line between honesty and fabrication.
Thematically, it engages with ideas of language, control, intimacy, and the ways people construct identity through storytelling and self-presentation. This makes it as intellectually engaging as it is emotionally disorienting.
Overall, Attention-Seeking Behavior is a bold and thought-provoking work of literary fiction that will strongly appeal to readers who enjoy unreliable narrators, psychological depth, and experimental storytelling.”
What stands out most is the narrative voice. It is intimate, fragmented, and deliberately uncertain, creating a reading experience that feels both confessional and manipulative in equal measure. The novel continuously blurs the line between honesty and fabrication.
Thematically, it engages with ideas of language, control, intimacy, and the ways people construct identity through storytelling and self-presentation. This makes it as intellectually engaging as it is emotionally disorienting.
Overall, Attention-Seeking Behavior is a bold and thought-provoking work of literary fiction that will strongly appeal to readers who enjoy unreliable narrators, psychological depth, and experimental storytelling.”
July 9, 2026
Phenomenal. A fresh take on the unreliable narrator trope. I’ve read lots of books in this category and they all go something like this: funny/witty/imperfect woman recounts the events of her life in ways that feel deeply relatable. Then, as the story unfolds, you feel less and less kindred spirits and more and more creeping dread. Something’s not quite right.
This story manages to be sort of the opposite of that while maintaining the creeping dread. Our narrator is a self-proclaimed pathological liar who may or may not be experiencing visual and auditory hallucinations. These hallucinations seem to be related to some type of traumatic event. The story that unravels tackles themes of patriarchal control, loss of identity, sexual violence, the unethical application of criminal justice, and the blurred line that separates truths from lies.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys internal character studies with unreliable narrators (think: Eileen, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Mary, A Good Person).
This story manages to be sort of the opposite of that while maintaining the creeping dread. Our narrator is a self-proclaimed pathological liar who may or may not be experiencing visual and auditory hallucinations. These hallucinations seem to be related to some type of traumatic event. The story that unravels tackles themes of patriarchal control, loss of identity, sexual violence, the unethical application of criminal justice, and the blurred line that separates truths from lies.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys internal character studies with unreliable narrators (think: Eileen, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Mary, A Good Person).
Review of advance copy
I liked this, but I'm still thinking about it, as I just finished it about an hour ago. I received this for free with purchase on Independent Bookstore Day in April 2026.
It may be a coincidence because the book I read just before it was Outline by Rachel Cusk, but this book has some similarities to that one, including the narrator's name being revealed only once and the England/Greece connection, plus the narrative format. (I don't know the proper terms, I'm just a regular ol' reader).
For such a short book, it took me a lot longer to get through it than I'd expected, it could be a "me" problem for sure (concentration issues lately), but I think the interspersing of information about the development of detecting lies and polygraph examinations, though interesting, slowed it down a little for me. I think it's worth a read, and for me, a re-read, at some point.
It may be a coincidence because the book I read just before it was Outline by Rachel Cusk, but this book has some similarities to that one, including the narrator's name being revealed only once and the England/Greece connection, plus the narrative format. (I don't know the proper terms, I'm just a regular ol' reader).
For such a short book, it took me a lot longer to get through it than I'd expected, it could be a "me" problem for sure (concentration issues lately), but I think the interspersing of information about the development of detecting lies and polygraph examinations, though interesting, slowed it down a little for me. I think it's worth a read, and for me, a re-read, at some point.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
An unreliable narrator is nothing new but this novel tackles the concept in an exciting new way. The book starts with the acknowledgement that she is, in fact, a liar. This is the one fact that weaves its way through the pages, not allowing the reader to forget that they could be taking in falsehoods as she even acknowledges that she has changed aspects of this very story. Despite this though, the emotion of the novel feels painfully real. Navigating relationships and jobs she’d rather not be doing, the narrator intersperses details of various dead bodies haunting her and obsessive paragraphs about lie detection that almost feel more like an essay. Even the fear of being caught rears its head time and time again. Each aspect cuts to the fucked up heart of humanity to create the most enthralling story.
June 25, 2026
Some stories have a good plot and others are so delicious in its journey, it almost doesn’t matter where it leads you. I felt the 5 stars halfway thru because I enjoyed the narrator’s voice so much.
Our protagonist is a compulsive (? not sure if this is the term for it) liar, seemingly for the thrill of it. She reveals the desires behind her “attention seeking behaviour” and as unreliable as her thoughts may be, in them we witness bare human need. It’s ugly and messy but you cannot look away because it’s human and in fact, very very relatable.
There is a line in the book: “The feeling passed before it could be fully named.” What I liked abt the book was that every feeling was mulled over, turned inside out, examined with nuance (extending to the scientific and speculative). I’m pretty sure this is what AI cannot do.
Our protagonist is a compulsive (? not sure if this is the term for it) liar, seemingly for the thrill of it. She reveals the desires behind her “attention seeking behaviour” and as unreliable as her thoughts may be, in them we witness bare human need. It’s ugly and messy but you cannot look away because it’s human and in fact, very very relatable.
There is a line in the book: “The feeling passed before it could be fully named.” What I liked abt the book was that every feeling was mulled over, turned inside out, examined with nuance (extending to the scientific and speculative). I’m pretty sure this is what AI cannot do.
July 30, 2026
surrealist and sharp
This novella threads the line between seeming like an exercise of a concept and a tight little story and a primer on lying and lie detection. Unusual in form and somewhat surreal in places, it also tackles sexual assault and the edges of consent, permission, desire, and self destruction.
Most impressively to me is that it manages to make clear and compelling on the page something that’s very difficult—in my mind at least—which is showing conflicted and contradictory mental processes. The narrator often seems to be having a million thoughts at a time and Warmelo conveys that in a way that allows the reader in, to experience it along with her.
I guess this is more autofiction in a way—or idk, does the narrator using the author’s name make it auto?—but knowing nothing about her life it didn’t trigger my auto confusion while I read.
This novella threads the line between seeming like an exercise of a concept and a tight little story and a primer on lying and lie detection. Unusual in form and somewhat surreal in places, it also tackles sexual assault and the edges of consent, permission, desire, and self destruction.
Most impressively to me is that it manages to make clear and compelling on the page something that’s very difficult—in my mind at least—which is showing conflicted and contradictory mental processes. The narrator often seems to be having a million thoughts at a time and Warmelo conveys that in a way that allows the reader in, to experience it along with her.
I guess this is more autofiction in a way—or idk, does the narrator using the author’s name make it auto?—but knowing nothing about her life it didn’t trigger my auto confusion while I read.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This ruled! We follow our narrator through life, work, and a romantic relationship. She is a compulsive liar and the ultimate unreliable narrator - I don't always like that but in this case it really worked. The book shifts between first person narration and factual / historical information about the history of police interrogation and the criminal justice system. That shift may or may not sound like it would make sense but it flows so elegantly in this book.
I loved it.
Thanks to Graywolf for the advanced copy and I think y'all should check out Attention-Seeking Behavior on it's pub date, May 19th.
I loved it.
Thanks to Graywolf for the advanced copy and I think y'all should check out Attention-Seeking Behavior on it's pub date, May 19th.
June 6, 2026
I had been struggling to return to fiction for some time, having spent so long reading nonfiction, but this book drew me.
What I found especially compelling was the way the story intersperses more journalistic reflections on epistemology: how truth and non-truth, the real and the unreal, are determined; how we make sense of the world through technology, language, behaviour, and through what we choose to believe or refuse to believe. These passages felt deeply meditative, but also incredibly skilful and creative in how they were woven into the narrative itself. Rather than feeling separate from the story, they became part of its texture.
What I found especially compelling was the way the story intersperses more journalistic reflections on epistemology: how truth and non-truth, the real and the unreal, are determined; how we make sense of the world through technology, language, behaviour, and through what we choose to believe or refuse to believe. These passages felt deeply meditative, but also incredibly skilful and creative in how they were woven into the narrative itself. Rather than feeling separate from the story, they became part of its texture.
June 6, 2026
Wow Ms. Aea I don’t know how goodreads works, if you can see reviews. I don’t know if you’ll ever see this but I hope you do. Sometimes a piece of fiction really finds you when it’s meant to and this is exactly what’s happened for me with your book- on my birthday. I can’t describe exactly how much I loved this book and resonated. As a criminology student my interest was peaked by your discussions of lie detectors. More importantly, as a woman, you took my feelings and put them onto paper. I already know I won’t stop thinking about this one. I won’t forget your main character because I carry her within me. A new favorite. I read it in one sitting. Thank you.
July 23, 2026
The delivery of this audiobook made it an easy binge. I also really enjoyed the fascinating information the author shared about lying, psychology, and police interrogations. The story truly makes you feel like you’re inside the characters’ mind, which at times created a sense of whiplash and left me feeling disoriented. While that wasn’t my favorite aspect of the book, it certainly added to the psychological experience.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced psychological thriller, this is definitely worth checking out.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC!
August 1, 2026
This was an interesting and thought provoking piece of experimental (sort-of)-fiction. The way it is composed really got me, you can’t really tell what is real and what is speculation because of the unrialiable narrative (which is the point)
I also LOVED the transition from the fictional storyline to the factual history of lie detection. Those chapters explores how courts, psychologists, and investigators have tried to identify deception, body language analysis and the polygraph.
Definitely thought provoking !
thank you netgalley for the copy
I also LOVED the transition from the fictional storyline to the factual history of lie detection. Those chapters explores how courts, psychologists, and investigators have tried to identify deception, body language analysis and the polygraph.
Definitely thought provoking !
thank you netgalley for the copy
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I felt like I was listening to the inner monologue of a psychiatry patient as I read this book. To say I learned a little about pathological lying is an understatement… by the end of this book I began questioning everything, “is he lying… is she a lier… wait am I lying?!” The story, mixed with the info dumping was… weirdly reminiscent of my own brain. Trying to use logic to explain everything as the mind races… very interesting book to say the least and an eye opening book to say the least!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews