08/12/2024

Two interlinked novellas share a single binding in this knotty and stimulating tête-bêche book from journalist and novelist Rubin (The Winter Agent). The gothic-tinted first tale is set in 1881 England and “written” by fictional bestselling author Oliver Tooke. In it, idealistic but impoverished London doctor Simeon Lee visits a remote island in Essex to care for his father’s cousin, Oliver Hawes, who claims he’s being poisoned—possibly by his sister-in-law, Florence. The second story, set in 1939 Los Angeles, follows young actor Ken Kourian as he befriends famous author Oliver Tooke and meets his eccentric extended family, including his femme fatale sister; his father, the eugenicist governor of California vying for the U.S. presidency; and his grandfather, an esteemed doctor. After Oliver dies of an apparent suicide, Ken discovers a manuscript of the book’s first story and draws startling real-life parallels, setting him on a journey to England, where he uncovers a scandal that threatens to derail Governor Tooke’s political bid. At times, Rubin’s incessant doubling (Florence, for example, occupies herself with reading tête-bêche novels) can feel overworked, as can his reliance on stock elements, including a hyperbrutal police force and a beautiful, unavailable heiress. Still, the book’s ambitious structure offers plenty of thrilling surprises for readers willing to roll with it. Adventurous mystery fans will be rewarded. (Oct.)

"Two interlinked novellas share a single binding in this knotty and stimulating tête-bêche book . . . [that] offers plenty of thrilling surprises."
—Publishers Weekly

“Clever. . . . Glitters with cunning cross-references.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“The Turnglass is a bold, breathtaking piece of writing that absolutely nails its two books-in-one conceit. I doubt I’ll ever read anything like it again, which is the highest compliment I can offer.”
—Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

“Not just a book, but an experience—one in which twists and turns are both on the page and in the very act of reading itself. Two haunting narratives conspire to create a dark, menacing tale that spans half a century of secrets as they echo back and forth—all while the sand slowly drains away. . . . This is a story about stories and their perspectives, the passage of time, and the slow march of the inevitable. Vivid, resonant, melancholy, and beautiful."
—Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal

“A stunning, ingenious, truly immersive mystery. The Turnglass is a thrilling delight.”
—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End

“Highly atmospheric and hectic searches for terrible truths. Rubin has pulled off the difficult trick of writing an ambitious novel that is also an easy, enjoyable read.”
—The London Times, Crime Book of the Month

“An intricate and thoroughly mesmerizing tale of family plots and schemes across several generations.”
—The Guardian [Best Thriller of the Year]

“Your initial amazement at his ingenuity comes to sit alongside an appreciation of the heart and depth he brings to his stories. A risky idea, beautifully executed.”
—The Telegraph

“If immersive fiction is for you, you’ll adore this tête-bêche novel. . . . Expect two very different stories that magically come together.”
—Belfast Telegraph

“A unique, deeply enjoyable read and I’m in awe of the plotting.”
—The Express [Best Thriller of the Year]

“Murder, mystery and secrets combine to create a dazzling achievement that will hook you in.”
—Best magazine

“Keeps you in suspense between two eras and two continents.”
—Corriere della Sera [Italy, Top 10 Bestseller]

“The kind of book that its fans will keep coming back to, finding new treasures with every read. It is a puzzle that succeeds in its primary ambition: it puzzles.”
— Vrye Weekblad [South Africa]




 

These two oddly connected novellas are narrated by Joe Eyre and George Greenland. The works revolve around Turnglass, which is both a house and a bound volume that's read aloud. Story one, delivered by Eyre, is set in 1880 Essex at Turnglass House, which is situated on a tidal island. It's recounted by Dr. Simeon Lee, who is treating his uncle, Parson Oliver Hawes, who is dying of poison. It's all taking place under the vigilant eye of Hawes's haughty sister-in-law, Florence, a supposed murderer who is incarcerated in the glass-walled rooms of the house. Greenland's clipped pacing takes up story two, set in 1930s Hollywood, where another head-scratching poisoning occurs. Secrets, characters, and events 50 years apart echo one another in these two stories. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

2024-11-09
A clever, gimmicky novel pairs two intersecting stories, one set in Victorian England and the other in Los Angeles in 1939.

Rubin sets the novel up as a “tête-bêche,” in which each novella occupies half the pages and the reader switches from one to the other by flipping and rotating the book. The stories can be read in either order, and each provides clues for and parallels to the other. In the British story, ambitious epidemiologist Simeon Lee, hoping for an inheritance, goes to care for his father’s ailing cousin, Oliver Hawes, at Turnglass House—located on a remote island off the coast of Essex—where he discovers that Oliver has imprisoned his sister-in-law, Florence, convicted of killing his brother, in a glass room. When Simeon discovers a tête-bêche in which Oliver has recorded a journal, he begins to investigate the past of the house and its inhabitants, and discovers a murky, bloody history. In the California story, aspiring actor and advertising writer Ken Kourian gets acquainted with wealthy novelist Oliver Tooke and his mysterious sister, Coraline, children of a conservative California governor with presidential ambitions. When Oliver is found dead at his writing studio close to a replica of Turnglass House, suicide is assumed, but Ken has his doubts. Then he reads a manuscript Oliver left behind, set at the British Turnglass House, and discovers clues that lead to murder and family secrets. Rubin has a gift for mimicking the style of potboiler mysteries, and fans of California noir and gothics set in family manors will find pastiches of both here. Though at times Rubin appears to be jamming the pieces of his elaborate puzzle together, the assemblage glitters with cunning cross-references.

Shallow but diverting tales challenge the brain without touching the heart.