Review of "The Wrong Family: A Psychological Thriller" by Tarryn Fisher

 

Sixty-something Juno was a psychotherapist in New Mexico before mistakes at work and bad health deprived her of family and job. Juno then moved to Seattle, Washington, to live out her latter years in a fresh environment.



In Seattle, Juno's professional instincts get her interested in a family - Winnie and Nigel Crouch and their 14-year-old son Samuel.



Juno starts following the Crouchs when they take walks in the evening....



.....and when Juno gets the chance, she moves into the Crouch's home in the tony suburb of Greenlake. Juno makes it her business to listen in on the Crouch's conversations and arguments.....



.....and one day hears something shocking.



The book is told in the alternating voices of Juno and Winnie, and goes back and forth from past to present.

From Winnie's narration we discover that she picked the VERY expensive Greenlake home against Nigel's wishes....



.....that Nigel built a rental apartment adjacent to his study (with ideas about an airbnb), and that the couple did something terrible that's affecting their marriage.



From Juno's story, we learn that her behavior drove her husband and sons away, that she was incarcerated, and that her illness is painful and debilitating.



Once Juno hears the scandalous news mentioned above, she can't help but stick her nose in where it doesn't belong. This starts to cause trouble almost immediately.

The situation in the Crouch home is exacerbated by Winnie's twin brother Dakota.



Dakota's wife regularly throws him out for bad behavior, and - when Dakota gambles away his entire paycheck - it's Winnie's turn to take him in. Dakota's presence in the household infuriates Nigel, makes Samuel nervous, and ruins a 'Friendsgiving' party at the Crouch's home.

Eventually, all this leads to terrible consequences.

The book is engrossing and suspenseful, but (to me) a basic premise of the story is not believable. This lessened my enjoyment of the novel, but if you can get past it, this is a pretty good psychological thriller.

Rating: 3 stars