Book Review: Blurred Fates

An unconventional thriller about unresolved trauma and the tricks memory can play, Blurred Fates is as disturbing as it is rewarding. Kate, a woman with the perfect life one could wish for, finds her reality slipping from her hand, when Jacob, her husband of 19 years, comes clean about a sexual indiscretion at a late night drunken party with his close circle of friends that he quite doesn't remember well. Although Jacob insists it wasn't that big of a deal and feels truly contrite, the disclosure triggers unsavoury memories of her own past that she had precariously managed to hold at bay for a long time, threatening to send her on a downward spiral and undo everything she has built so far. It would appear the past is still very much alive and haunting, as much she tries to distance herself. Blurred Fates is certainly not the first novel that uses the unreliable protagonist trope to milk it for narrative tension, but to give credit where it's due, debut author Anastasia Zadeik slowly but steadily peels back the layers, deftly exploring the character's mental turmoil to reveal the shocking truth that leaves your head reeling. The story isn't so much a twisty tale of domestic discord as it's about acknowledging and coming to terms with your past, and moving on. A well-written slow-burn!