The Split
A Novel
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
“It’s great fun to watch [Kit] Frick’s two narratives collide and diverge.” —The New York Times Book Review
From critically acclaimed author Kit Frick, this “storytelling feat, with twin narratives that race each other to a satisfying—and shocking—conclusion” (Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author), follows a pair of sisters into a family’s dark past, illuminating how a single choice can drastically alter the trajectory of a life
Sisters Jane and Esme used to be thick as thieves. But as adults, pragmatic, dependable Jane regrets the distance that has grown between them. So when beautiful and impetuous Esme calls Jane during a flash summer storm, announcing she’s left her high society husband, Jane is shocked to learn that her little sister wishes to stay with her. Could this be an opportunity for them to become close again? The only catch: Esme needs a ride from the city to their small Connecticut hometown, and Jane is terrified of getting on the highway. The storm is raging, and Jane can’t escape the horrible memory of how she nearly killed Esme while driving in a downpour when they were teens.
Jane must either let Esme stand on her own two feet for once or swallow her fear and jump to her younger sister’s rescue—and her choice cleaves her life in two.
In one reality, Jane tells Esme to crash with a friend. Twenty-four hours later, her sister is missing. Tortured by regret, Jane dedicates herself to piecing together Esme’s life before her disappearance, unraveling a web of lies, broken relationships, and, finally, the truth.
In the other reality, Jane gets in the car and offers her less-than-grateful sister a ride. But while Jane hopes living together in their childhood home will be healing, Esme is aloof and increasingly reckless. The tension between the sisters builds until they are finally forced to reckon with the explosive secret from their past that could destroy their fragile bond—and both their lives.
With a breakneck pace and shocking twists and turns, The Split captivatingly explores how little we know the ones we love—and how one small choice can change everything.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
YA author Frick (The Reunion) makes an auspicious adult debut with this knotty Sliding Doors–esque thriller about two sisters who share a dark secret. Jane Connor has moved back to her Connecticut hometown to help care for her dementia-stricken mother. She's surprised when her impulsive sister, Esme, calls during a storm one night and says she's left her wealthy husband and needs Jane to come pick her up in Manhattan. The request paralyzes Jane, who immediately flashes back to the last time she drove Esme in inclement weather—a trip that ended with Esme severely injured. From there, the narrative fissures into two timelines: in one, Jane picks Esme up and their relationship implodes; in the other, she refuses, and Esme goes missing. As the parallel stories swerve into murder, betrayal, and exhumed family secrets, Frick keeps readers deliriously off-balance, tossing out just enough breadcrumbs to make the truth seem obvious only in hindsight. The format gives new life to the unreliable narrator trope, and Frick is excellent at establishing a plausibly lived-in dynamic between Jane and Esme. It's an exhilarating puzzle.