August 14, 2023
Andersson’s follow-up to 2022’s Little Red House is a tense story of domestic suspense. Beatrice Wicker lives in Cape Morgan, Maine, with her wealthy husband, Josh, a well-liked architect whom she knows is unfaithful. Her life is upended one afternoon when someone sets off an explosive at the local elementary school and an 18-month-old boy is abducted in the confusion. Beatrice quickly realizes that the missing child is Oliver, Josh’s son with another woman, and his apparent kidnapping threatens to disclose Beatrice’s own hidden past: the grotesque doll left behind on the school playground is intended as a message for Emma Strand, her true identity. Flashbacks explore why Emma changed her name and how her dark past may be tied to the explosion and abduction; in the present, Josh tries to lead the search for Oliver while keeping his connection to the boy a secret. Andersson smoothly alternates between timelines, whipping Emma and Josh’s mutual deceits into a satisfying climax with plenty to say about the compromises of matrimony. Fans of Sally Hepworth will enjoy themselves. Agent: Fran Black, Literary Counsel.