Are You Smarter Than a Chimpanzee?

May 1, 2017
A trio of compelling, if damaged, characters—and the traumatic events that scarred them—at times threaten to swamp this smartly plotted psychological thriller from British author Seddon (Try Not to Breathe). The story centers on yin-and-yang fraternal twins Sarah and Robin Marshall, as well as Callum Granger, the shy, sensitive classmate who becomes their de facto stepbrother after the two sets of parents permanently trade partners—heedless of the children’s best interests—ultimately shattering both families. Seddon skillfully pieces together the now-estranged twins’ lives by shifting narrators and time frames between the fraught past and the precarious present, which finds Robin, formerly lead guitarist for a popular rock band, the agoraphobic prisoner of her Manchester home, and a desperate Sarah plotting how to get back into the life of a three-year-old girl she cares deeply about. Plenty of last-minute bombshells await, but a number of disturbing revelations somewhat deaden their impact. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency.