What do you think?
Rate this book
Attention-Seeking Behavior: A Novel
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?
- GenresFiction
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 - 16 of 16 reviews
Want to Read
April 7, 2026Thank you to Graywolf Press for the ARC! This premise sounds mind bending (complimentary)
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?
Read
February 16, 2026Gotta think of my rating on this one, damn! R.T.C!!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Review of advance copy
Genuinely one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. Told by a narrator who is also a compulsive liar, the story weaves in and out of a non-fictional account of the history of lie detection methods, with emphasis on the role of language and story-telling in how anyone discerns fact from fiction in the world they live in.
A fascinating look into the psyche of people who enjoys flirting with the line between people-pleasing and outright deceit: the addiction to controlling other people’s perception of reality (out of fear, or the hunger for power?); the smugness in trying to outrun punishment and consequences; the need to define themselves only on their own terms; but maybe fundamentally, the desire to be loved, by any means necessary, through any and all versions of themselves that might elicit affection.
Is Aea the character making up lies to understand and articulate her own trauma, or is she just an attention seeker? “Fiction here is likely to contain more truth than fact”. Perhaps even my rationalisation now is guilty of imposing a particular narrative of them which they did not sign up for, but as far as novels go, I enjoyed it as much as I could enjoy any novel.
A fascinating look into the psyche of people who enjoys flirting with the line between people-pleasing and outright deceit: the addiction to controlling other people’s perception of reality (out of fear, or the hunger for power?); the smugness in trying to outrun punishment and consequences; the need to define themselves only on their own terms; but maybe fundamentally, the desire to be loved, by any means necessary, through any and all versions of themselves that might elicit affection.
Is Aea the character making up lies to understand and articulate her own trauma, or is she just an attention seeker? “Fiction here is likely to contain more truth than fact”. Perhaps even my rationalisation now is guilty of imposing a particular narrative of them which they did not sign up for, but as far as novels go, I enjoyed it as much as I could enjoy any novel.
December 19, 2025
I’m extreme biased but this ruled x
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3.5
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Honestly not sure how I feel about this book. And truthfully not sure if I truly understood everything. It was enjoyable however.
May 20, 2026
I read this alongside Patrick Cottrell's Afternoon Hours of a Hermit. It was cool to read two unreliable narrators side by side. Attention-Seeking Behavior is funny and strange. I'd recommend it.
May 21, 2026
This one grew on me. Or maybe it didn’t. I could be lying. You don’t know.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews