Title: Pictures of You

Author: Josh Malerman

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Publisher: Tor

Publication Date: 10th September 2026

Cover:

Summary:

After a magical night out on the town with her fiancée Jack, Emily wakes alone in a huge bed situated in a beautiful, well-lit room. But the pink ceiling, the mauve walls, and the deep, dark corners are nothing like the hotel she and Jack rented. More worrisome yet: Emily has no memory of this place from the night before.

A woman’s voice directs her to remain in bed. And beyond the end of the bed, a picture frame upon an easel – a frame with no canvas, no painting, no art. Only . . . there is the silhouette of a person Emily does not recognize. A person emanating demand, danger, evil. And the way the woman talks . . . She’s acting as if Emily herself is the painting. The still life. The art.

Emily is as confused as she is scared. But it’s immediately clear that she is trapped – and that Jack’s life is on the line along with her own.

The clock is ticking . . .
For Emily.
For Jack.
For being forever trapped.

Review:

As someone who loves both making and has a strong interest in art, I was so intrigued by the original concept of Pictures of You and thought it sounded both intensely creepy and something quite different. By and large I thought this premise was well executed and created a brooding and weirdly creepy sort of slow burn horror read that I found compelling and strangely captivating. I can definitely see this being a bit of a marmite book, in a sense. It’s more on the side of atmosphere and vibes instead of nonstop horror action which may not work for everyone, but I rather liked the creeping sense of dread and discomfort which the writing and the structure afforded. I also thought the ending was well done, although I won’t say any more than that! There’s also a very real feeling of disorientation from the very beginning as we are kind of thrown into this truly bizarre and terrifying situation alongside main character, Emily, and it is unclear what exactly is happening  here and more importantly, why. That aspect I think worked very well and although I think certain points did get a little repetitive, I found Pictures of You overall weird, unnerving, insidious, and an incredibly original concept which I enjoyed. 

Huge thanks to BookBreak UK and Tor for sending me a copy of the book. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.