One Step Too Far

November 3, 2014
British author Seskis expertly depicts the new life of a runaway wife, Emily Coleman, in her exciting if not groundbreaking first novel. Leaving all that she knows in Manchester, England, for an uncertain future in present-day London, Emily reclaims her maiden name and becomes Cat Brown. With the help of her new housemate, the uninhibited but motherly Angel, Cat finds not only a new job but also a new persona, and the two party and drink to extremes that Cat would never have dared to try before. Yet at every turn Cat must push away thoughts of the often alluded to but unspecified event that drove her to restart her life. Individual readers will have to decide whether the secret that drives the plot, once it’s revealed, is sufficiently shocking. Regardless, as Cat teeters from being nearly indigent to becoming a confident if reckless Londoner, her experiences on her own make for a diverting read. Agent: Jon Elek, United Agents (U.K.).

November 15, 2014

This highly anticipated U.S. publication of Seskis's debut psychological thriller is off and running from the very first page, in which readers meet Cat Brown, formerly Emily Coleman, as she sheds her previous life with a move to London, leaving behind what she assumes will be a shocked and bewildered family. Our view of Cat's rough first weeks in the city, and her introduction to a seedier life than the one to which she was accustomed in the suburbs of Manchester is interspersed with multiple narratives that provide disconnected clues to the motivation for her frantic hegira. The author's use of this technique propels the plot by leaving the reader unsettled and on edge, eager for more information. And, in order to achieve the intricate plot twists, Seskis reverses the classic methods of such predecessors as Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy by distancing us from her characters in order to keep us ignorant of the driving force behind their actions until the climactic conclusion. VERDICT Add this one to the growing Gone Girl subgenre, designed for readers who appreciate the journey and are willing to invest the time to reflect on its significance once the destination is reached. [See Prepub Alert, 7/21/14.]--Nancy McNicol, Hamden P.L., CT

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