Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell (review)

When Callum Harris wakes up in the hospital after a near-fatal tumble over a waterfall, he soon realizes that everything in his life is off-kilter. His parents refuse to talk about why his brother hasn’t come to visit; school bullies, usually intent on tormenting him, are eagerly anticipating his return to football, a sport he does not play; his best friend tries to smother him with a pillow. The hottest girl in school is hitting on him, while the nerdy girl he loves claims not to know him at all. Worst of all, the town sheriff suspects him in the disappearance of another local teen, and a strange, shadowy figure is lurking nearby. At first Cal rationalizes that his memories were scrambled, but he soon begins to wonder if perhaps maybe this reality isn’t his own. Before he can process what this means or puzzle out how to return to his own reality, though, he is forced to confront another part of this alternate world: this reality’s Cal, a vicious sociopath, is still around, and he’s anxious to pin his crimes on the innocent Callum. Offering an inventive take on the evil twin conceit, this novel is a convincing thriller. Callum’s confusion is palpable, and while the truth behind the situation is easy for the reader to recognize, the narrative deftly explores how hard it would be to believe if it was happening to you. This doesn’t go for the emotional richness of Valentine’s Double (BCCB 3/12); instead, this is a pure concept thriller, and the riveting opening and intense final scene will keep genre fans satisfied and breathless.