2 days ago
Beloved Australian actor Claudia Karvan says there's a chilling authenticity to Like, Follow, Die
Like, Follow, Die is a psychological thriller that begins with a knock on the door.
Probationary detective Kyle Nazarian wants to speak to Corinne Gray about her son Ben, a sweet-natured child who loved history and dreamed of swimming for Olympic Gold.
Ben has done the unthinkable, and his mother pours herself into uncovering the sinister figures and shadowy online communities who prey on vulnerable young people like her son.
It's fiction.
But beloved Australian actor Claudia Karvan (Bump, Puberty Blues, Secret Life of Us), who stars as Corinne in the multi-cast narration of the audiobook, says there's a very real edge to this story.
"I think there's real truth to it," Karvan told ABC News.
"There's a very real tussle happening right now in front of us between the old world order and new progressive ways, and we're watching that happen right now.
"So, it couldn't be more timely."
Karvan, who has a 23-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old son, says she agrees with What About Men author Caitlin Moran, who implores fellow feminists to ponder: Where are the boys, and are we making sure they're keeping up?
"It's a conversation that my son and I have to have delicately," Karvan said.
She says in Like, Follow, Die, Corinne unpacks the job she did as a parent.
"[She's] trying to work out what cultural influences may have derailed her efforts [and] being very honest with her own deficiencies."
Like, Follow, Die is written by the bestselling author of Dark Mode, Ashley Kalagian Blunt, who says there's been an overwhelming response to the audiobook since it was released last week.
"I've had a bunch of readers get in touch with me to tell me how much they love the twists and just how the story really hits them, especially if they're parents," Kalagian Blunt told ABC News.
"The main thing I want to do with Like, Follow, Die is show how in the men's rights activist space, there are groups that are specifically targeting teenage boys through places like YouTube and Instagram, TikTok, the places where teenage kids hang out.
"It's not that they're just naturally drawn to that, maybe in some cases, but it's that there's actually people who are investing money and strategy in thinking about how do we draw these boys into our world view?
Kalagian Blunt says she wants to contribute to an existing conversation around social media and teenagers, what they're exposed to, and how that's shaping their world view.
"The reason I wanted to write from Ben's point of view, from the teenage boy's point of view through his journals, we only see him from age 12 to age 19, is because I wanted to show how he developed this world view, and how he was targeted by groups that very specifically were looking for vulnerable teenage boys.
"And I think there is this societal conversation and dialogue right now around men's violence and toxic masculinity and modern feminism, and those are really important conversations and really important topics.
Like, Follow, Die is on Audible and features an all-star cast including Claudia Karvan as Corinne Gray, Ryan Corr as Kyle Nazarian and Laurence Boxhall as Benjamin Gray.
