Books › The scapegoat
The scapegoat
First published 1957 · 2432 pages
A tense, witty psychological thriller where a chance encounter with a doppelganger spirals into a high-stakes game of aristocratic deception.
What it feels like
Plunge into a tense, psychologically rich atmosphere where the terrifying fragility of identity sets off a propulsive chain of deception. The narrative feels both claustrophobic and crackling with wit, trapping the reader in a high-stakes game of aristocratic masquerade. As the suspense unfolds, the mood shifts from initial disorientation and nausea to a gripping, anxious struggle to maintain a stolen life among an embittered family. The prose is sharp and observant, perfectly capturing the constant dread of escaping detection while unraveling the enigmatic past that haunts a sprawling chateau. This is an immersive experience that will delight fans of mid-century psychological suspense, offering a masterclass in tension, hidden secrets, and the claustrophobia of living another person's life.
- Mood
- enigmatic
- claustrophobic
- dread-soaked
- mysterious
- Tone
- suspenseful
- witty
- tense
- psychological
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- stolen identity · aristocratic secrets · deception and impersonation · the burden of the past · doppelgangers
- The writing
- Sharp and psychologically astute, balancing crackling wit with an ever-present undercurrent of suspense and dread.
- The arc
- Moves from sudden, nauseating shock into a prolonged, high-stakes state of anxiety and desperate unraveling.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave tense, mid-century psychological mysteries centered on aristocratic family secrets and the terrifying fragility of identity.
Content notes
- identity theft
- deception
- infidelity
About the book
Someone jolted my elbow as I drank and said, 'Je vous demande pardon, ' and as I moved to give him space he turned and stared at me and I at him, and I realized, with a strange sense of shock and fear and nausea all combined, that his face and voice were known to me too well.I was looking at myself."Two men--one English, the other French--meet by chance in a provincial railway station and are astounded that they are so much alike that they could easily pass for each other. Over the course of a long evening, they talk and drink. It is not until he awakes the next day that John, the Englishman, realizes that he may have spoken too much. His French companion is gone, having stolen his identity. For his part, John has no choice but to take the Frenchman's place--as master of a chateau, director of a failing business, head of a large and embittered family, and keeper of too many secrets.Loaded with suspense and crackling wit, "The Scapegoat" tells the double story of the attempts by John, the imposter, to escape detection by the family, servants, and several mistresses of his alter ego, and of his constant and frustrating efforts to unravel the mystery of the enigmatic past that dominates the existence of all who live in the chateau.
Description from Open Library.
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