Vantage Point

Viral videos send an influential Maine family reeling in this tempestuous domestic thriller from Sligar (Take Me Apart). So many descendants of steel tycoon Thomas Wieland have met with calamity that most believe the clan is cursed. Clara Wieland first bought into the theory at 16, when she saw her parents die. Sixteen years later, the curse comes for Clara when a degrading sex tape hits the internet. Clara’s brother, senatorial candidate Teddy, wants to involve the police, but Clara refuses, too humiliated to admit she doesn’t recognize her partner or recall participating in the recording. Then another devastating video drops, this one featuring Clara and her best friend, Jess—Teddy’s wife—disparaging Teddy in an exchange neither woman remembers. Suspecting high-tech sabotage, Clara vows to uncover the truth, but in an era of bots, trolls, and deepfakes, that’s easier said than done. Doubt and paranoia color Clara and Jess’s alternating narration, keeping the tension high throughout. A few preposterous twists tilt the plot toward soap opera territory, but Sligar’s nuanced, psychologically complex characters provide sufficient counterweight. Sarah Pinborough fans should take note. Agent: Danya Kukafka, Trellis Literary. (Jan.)