Him by Clare Empson begins with Catherine driven mute by earlier events. I was intrigued by the premise and wondered what triggered her to withdraw so far into herself. As the novel jumps back and forth in time, the events that lead to the mutism four months previously are slowly but surely brought to the surface.

Catherine and Lucian fell in love at university, their relationship was relatable and their mutual infatuation believable. Welcomed into Lucian's elite circle of friends, their unexpected breakup took a toll on Lucian and the reason behind it is one of the novel's mysteries.

Told in a multitude of timeframes: now, 4 months earlier, 15 years earlier and from the perspectives of both Catherine and Lucian, the narrative did feel somewhat jumpy and disjointed as a result.

I didn't feel terribly invested in either of the main characters and found the supporting characters to be either vacuous or vulnerable. Their rich lifestyles may interest some readers, but I couldn't help but roll my eyes at their behaviour (now and then) and sense of entitlement.

While I had very little empathy for Catherine, I did care for one of the characters and found her unique story quite moving. Catherine's mutism almost frustrated me as much as it did her husband, and the big 'reveal' or denouement wasn't really worth the reader investment or the build up in my view.

Him is a story of obsessive love, lies, secrets and regrets populated by wealthy young people battling addictions and depression trying to find real love.

* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia competition * ( )

This is a book that I have had for far too long. You know how it is, you mean to read a book and then another one comes along and pushes it out of the way. Well, I wish that hadn't happened with Him as it's absolutely wonderful. Still, I got there in the end.

First of all, Him is not in a million years what I was expecting. I thought I was in for a dark, psychological thriller, one of mind games and revenge. In fact, it's actually a love story, albeit one with some distressing undertones.

This is the story of Catherine, told in three time segments, all interspersed with each other. We have 15 years ago, four months ago, and now. We also hear from Lucian from four months ago. Why four months? Well, this is when Catherine became an elective mute - she simply stopped talking. What happened to bring this on? We have to go back to the beginning to find out.

Catherine and Lucian met at university and their love for each other was immediate, passionate and intense. They were made for each other. So why did Catherine suddenly end it, with no explanation and what, for Lucian, seemed like no good reason?

Catherine married Sam and had two children and got on with her life. Lucian had his group of close friends, a clique that was almost impenetrable. But they never got over each other. Fast forward to four months ago and a chance meeting amidst problems at home for Catherine, and Lucian is suddenly back in her life.

I don't want to say more about the plot, but I just want you to know how beautiful this book is. The writing is perfection itself. When I started reading I knew it was going to be a heartbreaker and the lump in my throat made regular appearances. There was a distinct feeling that this was not a story that was going to end well and I did cry at the conclusion.

Him is full of three-dimensional characters that leap off the pages. I found I could imagine each one of them so well, the settings, the relationships, the friendships. I thought the difference between Lucian's and Catherine's backgrounds was very well drawn - the modern day Brideshead vs a normal, suburban upbringing provided such a contrast and also added an extra dimension to the story.

This is a story of entitlement, shame, jealousy and intense longing and it left me with quite a book hangover. It's exactly the sort of story I love, one of love against the odds. It is quite an intense story. I couldn't rush it, in fact I had to keep putting it down at the beginning until the point when I simply couldn't put it down because I had to know how it ended. And even though I kind of already knew, it didn't stop me feeling utterly bereft.

I really can't wait to read Empson's next book, Mine. Him is a remarkable debut by a very talented writer. ( )