Alice Feeney does it again. A mind-bending plot twist that completely made my jaw drop. Either I'm too oblivious to see her twists coming, or she is a genius.
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The Premise
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This domestic thriller follows a couple who are struggling with marital problems. To work on their relationship, they go on a weekend getaway to a secluded villa in Scotland, a trip suggested by their marriage counselor. They hope to fix their marriage, but of course, secrets start to unravel, and things take a dark turn. And I mean really dark—Feeney doesn’t just dip her toes into unsettling territory, she dives straight in.
The husband is a screenwriter who adapts novels into movies. However, his real dream is to create films based on his own stories rather than just adapting someone else’s work. Because of this, he isn’t quite satisfied with his life. You can feel the tension bubbling beneath the surface, he’s not just frustrated, he’s on the verge of cracking. Then there’s the wife, who works at an animal shelter. Their dynamic is interesting because while they seem like a normal couple on the surface, there’s an underlying tension that hints at something much deeper.
So, yeah, this couple is on their weekend away, and right from the beginning, there’s a strong sense of unease. It’s clear that some secrets will come out and things are about to go downhill.The remote setting makes everything feel claustrophobic and isolated, like danger could creep in at any second.
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A Unique Perspective: Face Blindness
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One unique and surprising aspect of this book that intrigued me was that the husband has prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness. Most psychological thrillers feature characters with some kind of psychological disorder, but I don’t think I’ve ever read one where a character has face blindness. This isn’t a condition that is talked about much—I knew it existed, but I didn’t know much about it. The way Feeney incorporates it is both realistic and unnerving.
It was especially interesting to do a little side research to understand how it actually works and why it happens. What makes it even more fascinating is that he doesn’t even recognize his own wife. Instead, he relies on other cues like her scent and certain familiar details to identify her. But if he had to pick her out of a police lineup, he wouldn’t be able to. This adds an extra layer of tension—imagine living with someone for years and still not being able to recognize their face. This aspect of the story really intrigued me, and I was excited to see how it played into the plot. There’s something deeply disturbing about that—like constantly living with a stranger.
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A Marriage Built on Lies
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Usually, when a couple has marital issues, it’s about things like trust, falling out of love, or feeling misunderstood. But in this book, it’s completely different—both of them are lying to each other about something. They’re both incredibly shady, and they both know it. It’s not subtle miscommunication—it’s deliberate, calculated deception.
It’s not just suspicion; it’s a constant game of, I know you’re lying to me. I know you’re planning something. But I don’t know what. It’s such a strange dynamic.
At times, it felt like they were living in the same house, each thinking the other was a serial killer. That was the exact vibe I got, and it was unsettling in the best way. It’s one thing to have secrets in a marriage, but it’s another to know your partner is deceiving you and still pretend everything is normal. It’s like watching two people smile at each other across a dinner table, each holding a knife behind their back.
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Psychological Thriller or Horror?
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I started this book expecting a domestic thriller, but at some points, it almost felt like a horror story. That shift was a bit confusing, but it also kept me intrigued. I wasn’t sure where the story was heading, but I was definitely looking forward to seeing how it would all unfold. The atmosphere is chilling, with the isolated setting adding to the sense of paranoia and dread. Feeney knows how to toy with your sense of reality, making you question what you know about the characters.
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Anniversary Letters: A Window Into Their Marriage
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The wife has a habit of writing letters to her husband every year on their anniversary. These letters are mostly for herself—a way to let everything out. She repeatedly mentions that she might never let him read them because they could hurt him, but at the same time, she considers the possibility of sharing them someday. The letters are raw, honest, and at times brutal. They're her truth in a relationship built on lies.
I found this aspect of the book really interesting. It gives readers insight into their marriage without directly showing every moment. Rather than giving a detailed account of each year, the letters alone reveal the shift in their relationship—from happiness and love to growing dissatisfaction. The contrast between the first letter, filled with love and optimism, and the later ones, filled with frustration and bitterness, was striking. This gradual change was portrayed really well. It felt like watching love decay in slow motion, each word dripping with regret.
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Final Thoughts
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This book had everything I love in a thriller—secrets, tension, and an ending that left me speechless. The setting was eerie, the characters were complex, and the twists were unpredictable. The prosopagnosia element added an extra layer of intrigue, and the shifting dynamics between the couple kept me on edge the entire time. I genuinely had to pause a few times just to process what I was reading—it hits that hard.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers with deeply flawed characters and unexpected twists. It’s one of those books that keep you thinking even after you turn the last page.
I gave it a 4 out of 5 spooky stars 👻
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