The Chinese Twin

The Chinese Twin is a Scandi-noir psychological thriller by Sarah Engell. Released 5th Aug 2021 by Saga Egmont, it's 301 pages and is available in audio and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. It makes searching for info so much easier with the search function. This is a book where I spent a fair bit of time flipping back and forth to gain context and check information.

This is a superbly atmospheric and, at times, positively creepy book. Readers are dropped into two parallel narratives, from two narrators, both in first person, one in the past, and one in the present day. The chapters aren't delineated, which makes it even more disorienting. After a short while, I did manage to separate the points of view, but I sat with a sort of dreamlike confused dread throughout. It was well written although I struggled with the motivations of several of the characters' actions which impacted central plot points. The denouement and resolution were -odd- and not entirely satisfying. I was also uncomfortable with the outlandish representation of Chinese culture, especially given the upswing in targeted racist attacks in recent times.

Originally released in Danish, this English language translation is seamless. The translation work doesn't impair the scansion of the narrative and it doesn't feel as though it's translated, especially from a Scandinavian language which has generally shorter, more direct cadence. 

The author is quite gifted in the more technical aspects of her craft and although there were some character motivations and a few plot points which dragged me out of my suspension of disbelief, it was overall an enjoyable and immersive book. The language is rough, approximately R-rated. Trigger warnings for kidnapping, child loss, stillbirth, trauma, murder, and stereotyping.

The audiobook version is read by Olivia Vinall who has a wonderful range of emotion and delineates the characters' voices very well. I had no trouble keeping the narrative straight with her capable narration. Run time is 7 hours, 8 minutes. 

Three and a half stars for the book version, four stars for the audiobook. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.