A
t the start of this taut psychological thriller from Trinchieri (The Trouble with a Bad Fit
and other mysteries under the names Camilla T. Crespi and Trella Crespi), Emma Perotti, an ESL teacher in Manhattan, enfolds one of her students, An-ling Huang, into her family, despite her husband Tom’s distrust of the young Chinese woman. Emma is driven in part by the guilt she feels for the infant daughter she accidentally ran over and killed years before—a secret unknown to Tom, the child’s father, and Emma’s teenage son, Josh. As the bond between the women grows, Emma’s marriage stalls. She moves into a loft with An-ling, but the arrangement sours as Emma prepares to return home and An-ling seduces Josh. When An-ling is found dead, Emma is charged with her murder. Though Emma’s sudden obsession with An-ling and the family’s final redemption both feel slightly forced, the novel is a gripping, intelligent read. Particularly compelling are its subtle insights into the nature of family, foreignness and the lies we tell ourselves and others even when our intentions are good. (June)
