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The Indecipherables
Not yet published
Expected 19 Jan 27"Heady, creepy, paranoid, The Indecipherables is a delirious doubles-twist on the doppelgänger tale that will leave you questioning the identities of those closest to you. Maybe don't let them get too close."
—Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie
A pair of identical twins reconnect on a road trip where they realize they’re being stalked—by themselves—in this unsettling, imaginative tribute to Hitchcock’s Psycho and Vertigo
Meet Ava and Brin, identical twins on a road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway, from San Francisco to Joshua Tree, in honor of their late mother. This is more than a pilgrimage—it’s a reunion after a year-long rift, after Ava almost died of a mysterious illness. From their first night on the road, the sisters encounter strangers who insist they’ve met them before—a waitress who is certain she served them a few days ago, a mechanic who shows Ava and Brin a picture of themselves driving a different car from earlier that day.
Ava and Brin realize that another pair of twins, seemingly identical to them in name and appearance, are stalking them. The cat-and-mouse game between the four identical women quickly devolves into something sinister and supernatural as the lines between them begin to blur. Doppelgängers, prophetic hallucinations, an unwavering fog—what do these shadow twins want? And what are Ava and Brin hiding?
The Indecipherables is a fever dream of a debut novel, a journey into the weird and uncanny, and an exploration of what horrors arise when we keep secrets from those we love—and from ourselves.
—Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie
A pair of identical twins reconnect on a road trip where they realize they’re being stalked—by themselves—in this unsettling, imaginative tribute to Hitchcock’s Psycho and Vertigo
Meet Ava and Brin, identical twins on a road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway, from San Francisco to Joshua Tree, in honor of their late mother. This is more than a pilgrimage—it’s a reunion after a year-long rift, after Ava almost died of a mysterious illness. From their first night on the road, the sisters encounter strangers who insist they’ve met them before—a waitress who is certain she served them a few days ago, a mechanic who shows Ava and Brin a picture of themselves driving a different car from earlier that day.
Ava and Brin realize that another pair of twins, seemingly identical to them in name and appearance, are stalking them. The cat-and-mouse game between the four identical women quickly devolves into something sinister and supernatural as the lines between them begin to blur. Doppelgängers, prophetic hallucinations, an unwavering fog—what do these shadow twins want? And what are Ava and Brin hiding?
The Indecipherables is a fever dream of a debut novel, a journey into the weird and uncanny, and an exploration of what horrors arise when we keep secrets from those we love—and from ourselves.
Audible Audio
Expected publication January 19, 2027
About the author
Anne Hellman
6 books4 followersAnne Hellman is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor. She is the author most recently of Design Brooklyn: Renovation, Restoration, Innovation, Industry (Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, 2013) and founder of the blog Design Brooklyn, with photographer Michel Arnaud. Anne has also co-authored LogoLounge 8 and LogoLounge 7 (Rockport Publishers) and Designers on Design: Joël Desgrippes and Marc Gobé on the Emotional Brand Experience (Rockport, 2007).
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May 7, 2026I received this book through NetGalley.
The Indecipherables had an interesting premise, but it just wasn’t for me. The twin dynamic and identity themes are clearly central to the story, and I can see how readers who are twins or who enjoy slower, introspective psychological fiction may connect with it more deeply.
For me, though, I struggled to feel pulled in. The story had an eerie, reflective quality, but the pacing and overall distance kept me from fully connecting with the characters or the reading experience.
Overall, I can respect what the book was exploring more than I can say it worked for me personally. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy literary psychological stories, identity themes, twin dynamics, and a more atmospheric, introspective pace.
The Indecipherables had an interesting premise, but it just wasn’t for me. The twin dynamic and identity themes are clearly central to the story, and I can see how readers who are twins or who enjoy slower, introspective psychological fiction may connect with it more deeply.
For me, though, I struggled to feel pulled in. The story had an eerie, reflective quality, but the pacing and overall distance kept me from fully connecting with the characters or the reading experience.
Overall, I can respect what the book was exploring more than I can say it worked for me personally. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy literary psychological stories, identity themes, twin dynamics, and a more atmospheric, introspective pace.
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May 22, 2026Review of advance copy received from NetGalley.
The premise is interesting and strong and the twin dynamic had me curious going in, but I spent most of the book confused. I had to reread pages multiple times because I genuinely could not understand what was going on.
Also some wild things would happen to the twins, and they would just pretend nothing is happening and move on. That disconnect between the events of the plot and how the characters reacted made it hard to settle into the story.
I can see what Anne Hellman was going for: the disorientation feels intentional, and this could be perfect for readers who lean into literary thriller or horror. It just didn't quite work for me personally.
The premise is interesting and strong and the twin dynamic had me curious going in, but I spent most of the book confused. I had to reread pages multiple times because I genuinely could not understand what was going on.
Also some wild things would happen to the twins, and they would just pretend nothing is happening and move on. That disconnect between the events of the plot and how the characters reacted made it hard to settle into the story.
I can see what Anne Hellman was going for: the disorientation feels intentional, and this could be perfect for readers who lean into literary thriller or horror. It just didn't quite work for me personally.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
2.5 stars rounded down for goodreads/netgalley.
I have many thoughts.
This book had the chance to be really, really good. It could have been on my favorite-reads-of-all-time list. The premise is intriguing, and some of the plot points are downright fascinating, but unfortunately, the execution was not that great.
There were places where the POV switched suddenly with no warning, leaving me a bit clueless as to what was happening. As the twists began to unfold, the story started to make less sense than more, which is always a bad sign.
Some portions of this book were repeated almost verbatim to the point I thought one chapter of the ARC had accidentally been duplicated. There are also repeated words, themes, dialogue, and internal monologues that were just the same thing over…and over…and over…until the very last page. I get one twin has a dent in her forehead and one has a scar!! I understand!! It has been mentioned 800 times!! The word indecipherable has been used too many times for me to count!!
And lastly, the last 10% of this book completely befuddled me. I still have so many questions, and not in a good way.
Is it possible I’m just not smart enough to get this book? Yes, that is absolutely a possibility. However, I’m an avid reader and don’t consider myself to be stupid, so I think the confusing nature of the prose is worth flagging.
All of this being said, I finished the book. No DNF from me. Why? Because the story itself is captivating, and despite its faults, the plot itself is so incredibly enticing, interesting, and again, full of so much potential. I was waiting to be proven wrong at the end and hoping for an ending that tied everything together where everything suddenly made sense, and that just…did not happen.
I really hope that given the pub date isn’t until January 2027, some edits are made to a book that has such an incredible premise. The potential of the book shines brightly through the cracks at times, which made it even more frustrating when it went back to its “normal.” I would recommend this book if some significant revisions were made. I’m hoping this was an early, early ARC.
Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this e-ARC!
I have many thoughts.
This book had the chance to be really, really good. It could have been on my favorite-reads-of-all-time list. The premise is intriguing, and some of the plot points are downright fascinating, but unfortunately, the execution was not that great.
There were places where the POV switched suddenly with no warning, leaving me a bit clueless as to what was happening. As the twists began to unfold, the story started to make less sense than more, which is always a bad sign.
Some portions of this book were repeated almost verbatim to the point I thought one chapter of the ARC had accidentally been duplicated. There are also repeated words, themes, dialogue, and internal monologues that were just the same thing over…and over…and over…until the very last page. I get one twin has a dent in her forehead and one has a scar!! I understand!! It has been mentioned 800 times!! The word indecipherable has been used too many times for me to count!!
And lastly, the last 10% of this book completely befuddled me. I still have so many questions, and not in a good way.
Is it possible I’m just not smart enough to get this book? Yes, that is absolutely a possibility. However, I’m an avid reader and don’t consider myself to be stupid, so I think the confusing nature of the prose is worth flagging.
All of this being said, I finished the book. No DNF from me. Why? Because the story itself is captivating, and despite its faults, the plot itself is so incredibly enticing, interesting, and again, full of so much potential. I was waiting to be proven wrong at the end and hoping for an ending that tied everything together where everything suddenly made sense, and that just…did not happen.
I really hope that given the pub date isn’t until January 2027, some edits are made to a book that has such an incredible premise. The potential of the book shines brightly through the cracks at times, which made it even more frustrating when it went back to its “normal.” I would recommend this book if some significant revisions were made. I’m hoping this was an early, early ARC.
Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this e-ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
There is something deeply unnerving about a road trip novel where the landscape itself feels like it is watching you, and The Indecipherables absolutely nails that creeping dread. The Pacific Coast Highway has never felt so haunted. Fog curls around every page, memories distort, faces repeat themselves, and by the time the story fully slips into the uncanny, I felt like I was trapped in the backseat with Ava and Brin wondering if reality had quietly changed shape while nobody was looking.
This scratched a very specific itch for me. It has that hypnotic identity horror of Mulholland Drive mixed with the paranoid doubling and psychological spirals of Vertigo and Psycho, but it still feels entirely its own. The doppelgänger element is terrifying not because it is loud, but because it is disorienting. Every interaction feels slightly off-center, like the world is reflecting back a version of the twins that maybe should not exist.
I loved how grief and secrecy sit underneath all the strange horror. Ava and Brin’s relationship carries the entire novel. Their tension feels raw and lived in, and the emotional distance between them becomes just as unsettling as the supernatural pieces. The book constantly asks whether we can ever truly know the people closest to us, or even ourselves, and it does it through eerie roadside encounters, fractured memories, and mounting existential dread.
Anne Hellman writes like she is casting a spell. The prose feels dreamy and slippery without losing momentum, and there were moments where I genuinely felt untethered in the best way. The deeper the novel goes, the more it becomes less about solving a mystery and more about surrendering to the feeling of being lost inside it.
If you love strange literary horror, identity crises, uncanny doubles, lonely highways, and stories that feel like they are dissolving at the edges while you read them, this one is going to get under your skin.
This scratched a very specific itch for me. It has that hypnotic identity horror of Mulholland Drive mixed with the paranoid doubling and psychological spirals of Vertigo and Psycho, but it still feels entirely its own. The doppelgänger element is terrifying not because it is loud, but because it is disorienting. Every interaction feels slightly off-center, like the world is reflecting back a version of the twins that maybe should not exist.
I loved how grief and secrecy sit underneath all the strange horror. Ava and Brin’s relationship carries the entire novel. Their tension feels raw and lived in, and the emotional distance between them becomes just as unsettling as the supernatural pieces. The book constantly asks whether we can ever truly know the people closest to us, or even ourselves, and it does it through eerie roadside encounters, fractured memories, and mounting existential dread.
Anne Hellman writes like she is casting a spell. The prose feels dreamy and slippery without losing momentum, and there were moments where I genuinely felt untethered in the best way. The deeper the novel goes, the more it becomes less about solving a mystery and more about surrendering to the feeling of being lost inside it.
If you love strange literary horror, identity crises, uncanny doubles, lonely highways, and stories that feel like they are dissolving at the edges while you read them, this one is going to get under your skin.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.75
Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book really got under my skin in the best way. It's not in your face scary and more of that slow, creeping feeling that something’s wrong, even when nothing “big” is happening yet. By the time things escalate, you’re already on edge.
The story follows twins who take a road trip hoping it’ll help them reconnect after a strange stretch of time apart. That plan falls apart pretty quickly when they start to suspect they’re being followed. And not by a random stranger, but by versions of themselves. From there, every stop on the trip feels tense. The chase element is scary on its own, but what really works is how it pushes the twins to deal with everything they’ve been avoiding with each other. As things get more intense, it turns into this disorienting, psychological kind of horror where you’re never fully sure what’s real and what’s coming from inside their heads.
What I kept thinking about was how much the book is really about identity and the stories we tell ourselves. If there’s a version of you out there that looks the same and knows the same history, what actually makes you, YOU? The twin relationship makes that question hit harder, because they already know each other so well. Watching them run from their doubles while also circling around old resentments and unspoken pain felt painfully believable. The horror lands because it’s not just about being chased; it’s about being confronted with parts of yourself you’d rather not look at, especially by someone who can see right through you.
I really appreciated how original this book felt. I also loved how much of the tension comes from the twins themselves; their history, their closeness, and the ways they hurt each other. I would absolutely love to see this adapted into a film (specifically by A24)
Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book really got under my skin in the best way. It's not in your face scary and more of that slow, creeping feeling that something’s wrong, even when nothing “big” is happening yet. By the time things escalate, you’re already on edge.
The story follows twins who take a road trip hoping it’ll help them reconnect after a strange stretch of time apart. That plan falls apart pretty quickly when they start to suspect they’re being followed. And not by a random stranger, but by versions of themselves. From there, every stop on the trip feels tense. The chase element is scary on its own, but what really works is how it pushes the twins to deal with everything they’ve been avoiding with each other. As things get more intense, it turns into this disorienting, psychological kind of horror where you’re never fully sure what’s real and what’s coming from inside their heads.
What I kept thinking about was how much the book is really about identity and the stories we tell ourselves. If there’s a version of you out there that looks the same and knows the same history, what actually makes you, YOU? The twin relationship makes that question hit harder, because they already know each other so well. Watching them run from their doubles while also circling around old resentments and unspoken pain felt painfully believable. The horror lands because it’s not just about being chased; it’s about being confronted with parts of yourself you’d rather not look at, especially by someone who can see right through you.
I really appreciated how original this book felt. I also loved how much of the tension comes from the twins themselves; their history, their closeness, and the ways they hurt each other. I would absolutely love to see this adapted into a film (specifically by A24)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Many thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book!!
I'm always in for a creepy book, and creativity in fiction, and I feel like The Indecipherable really delivered on both fronts! The atmosphere is unsettling; there was a constant sense of tension simmering beneath the surface, and I had goosebumps while reading it.
This ultimately felt like a novel driven less by plot and more by emotion and atmosphere. What stayed with me wasn’t necessarily what happened, but how the book made me feel. I also appreciated how original it was. Anne Hellman takes some creative risks, and I found myself drawn into the novel’s introspective exploration of identity, selfhood, and the unique bond between twins. Although I’m not a twin myself, many of the emotions and questions surrounding identity still felt relatable.
I will say, I got a little bit confused with the book and couldn't fully see where it was going at times. I understand it's meant to be a bit confusing /ambiguous but there were moments when I felt a little too lost. Because I wasn’t always sure where the narrative was heading, I occasionally found it difficult to stay fully invested, which slowed the pacing for me.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this eerie and thought-provoking novel. Also I usually don't have a strong desire for books to become movies, but I actually would be really interested to see this playing out on the screen. I feel like there's a lot of possibilities here and I would be super interested in the direction it would go.
I'm always in for a creepy book, and creativity in fiction, and I feel like The Indecipherable really delivered on both fronts! The atmosphere is unsettling; there was a constant sense of tension simmering beneath the surface, and I had goosebumps while reading it.
This ultimately felt like a novel driven less by plot and more by emotion and atmosphere. What stayed with me wasn’t necessarily what happened, but how the book made me feel. I also appreciated how original it was. Anne Hellman takes some creative risks, and I found myself drawn into the novel’s introspective exploration of identity, selfhood, and the unique bond between twins. Although I’m not a twin myself, many of the emotions and questions surrounding identity still felt relatable.
I will say, I got a little bit confused with the book and couldn't fully see where it was going at times. I understand it's meant to be a bit confusing /ambiguous but there were moments when I felt a little too lost. Because I wasn’t always sure where the narrative was heading, I occasionally found it difficult to stay fully invested, which slowed the pacing for me.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this eerie and thought-provoking novel. Also I usually don't have a strong desire for books to become movies, but I actually would be really interested to see this playing out on the screen. I feel like there's a lot of possibilities here and I would be super interested in the direction it would go.
May 8, 2026
Two names swirl in my mind as I read this. And I don’t utter them lightly, they are Shirley Jackson and Joan didion. Two seemingly different writers who, at the same time, had a surgical way of cutting through all the B.S. of American culture down to the nerve of oddness that runs through our strange country.
There’s a timeless quality to this novel that I deeply enjoyed. But that’s not to say that it’s old-fashioned, seriously iPhones, AI, and AirBnB run rampant through the story. But somewhere inside its pages there are whispers of wood nymphs , fairies, maybe even a fetch.
When you get down to the heart of the novel, it’s truly about identity. How well can we possibly know ourselves, and can you ever truly know another person? I find it fascinating that the subjects of the story are identical twins, who incidentally are being stalked by another set of identical twins. Its opening quote is from vertigo, and I do think that that is a very good starting image for this particular story.
I was enchanted by the way this writer is able to turn something as mundane as a scarf into an object of fear, persecution, perhaps even of guilt.
I cannot wait to see what she has next upper sleeve.
"I tell myself stories all day long, and I have managed to weave a fairy tale of infinite complexity around the inanimate objects in my house…"
-Shirley Jackson
"I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be..."
-Joan Didion
There’s a timeless quality to this novel that I deeply enjoyed. But that’s not to say that it’s old-fashioned, seriously iPhones, AI, and AirBnB run rampant through the story. But somewhere inside its pages there are whispers of wood nymphs , fairies, maybe even a fetch.
When you get down to the heart of the novel, it’s truly about identity. How well can we possibly know ourselves, and can you ever truly know another person? I find it fascinating that the subjects of the story are identical twins, who incidentally are being stalked by another set of identical twins. Its opening quote is from vertigo, and I do think that that is a very good starting image for this particular story.
I was enchanted by the way this writer is able to turn something as mundane as a scarf into an object of fear, persecution, perhaps even of guilt.
I cannot wait to see what she has next upper sleeve.
"I tell myself stories all day long, and I have managed to weave a fairy tale of infinite complexity around the inanimate objects in my house…"
-Shirley Jackson
"I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be..."
-Joan Didion
May 17, 2026
I love twin stuff. My mom was a twin. My husband is a twin. I was supposed to be a twin (boring story there that I like to make much more interesting to explain why I’m like this). Twin dynamics are just fascinating. So a horror book that hinges on twin dynamics, yeah. I’m in.
The pacing in this is a little rough sometimes. At times it really grabs you and at times it’s a little bit of a struggle bus to get through. Again, I love the twin thing. But we get it. They are twins. The hammer over the head about it isn’t really needed.
Finding out about “mindspeak” almost halfway through the book is a long way to add that detail. Taking the same amount of time to start explaining what is going on is a long journey, too. The book is disjointed and uncomfortable in a way that sometimes feels intentional in that horror way, and sometimes is just way too slow. I don’t mind a slow burn but several times it feels like this ember has just plain gone out. It feels like 1/4 of it could be edited out and it would be of great benefit.
Still we push on because I really hate AI, I like creepy stories,the whole twin thing, and, well, I still want to know what happens.
The book does get into it and does get interesting, I promise. I’m glad, ultimately, that I stuck with it and if you, like me, have that little bit of interest that just keeps going here, you will be too. It just takes quiiiiite a while to get there.
The pacing in this is a little rough sometimes. At times it really grabs you and at times it’s a little bit of a struggle bus to get through. Again, I love the twin thing. But we get it. They are twins. The hammer over the head about it isn’t really needed.
Finding out about “mindspeak” almost halfway through the book is a long way to add that detail. Taking the same amount of time to start explaining what is going on is a long journey, too. The book is disjointed and uncomfortable in a way that sometimes feels intentional in that horror way, and sometimes is just way too slow. I don’t mind a slow burn but several times it feels like this ember has just plain gone out. It feels like 1/4 of it could be edited out and it would be of great benefit.
Still we push on because I really hate AI, I like creepy stories,the whole twin thing, and, well, I still want to know what happens.
The book does get into it and does get interesting, I promise. I’m glad, ultimately, that I stuck with it and if you, like me, have that little bit of interest that just keeps going here, you will be too. It just takes quiiiiite a while to get there.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley for this book. All opinions are my own.
I love a book with a fascinating premise, and the discovery of a world that could allow that to occur. This book had a fascinating premise, but it kind of ended there. It devolved into a frustration of not understanding what was going on, why things were occurring and left me with mostly loose threads that never got tied up or acknowledged.
The book starts out with a pair of identical twins on a road trip, and when they get to their stops, they find out that there was another set of twins that looked just like them who were just there! I mean, that's a cool mystery, how could you not want to keep reading.
The story is told in third person, but somewhere in the last third of the book, the narrator will switch to first person plural, including you as a reader, which is a little jarring.
I'm left still scratching my head. I am not quite sure why things happened the way they did, and though the ending did leave me a little closure with the characters, I never really understood the world that they inhabited.
I love a book with a fascinating premise, and the discovery of a world that could allow that to occur. This book had a fascinating premise, but it kind of ended there. It devolved into a frustration of not understanding what was going on, why things were occurring and left me with mostly loose threads that never got tied up or acknowledged.
The book starts out with a pair of identical twins on a road trip, and when they get to their stops, they find out that there was another set of twins that looked just like them who were just there! I mean, that's a cool mystery, how could you not want to keep reading.
The story is told in third person, but somewhere in the last third of the book, the narrator will switch to first person plural, including you as a reader, which is a little jarring.
I'm left still scratching my head. I am not quite sure why things happened the way they did, and though the ending did leave me a little closure with the characters, I never really understood the world that they inhabited.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Twins being stalked by other versions of themselves?! Yes please. That concept alone had me hitting "Request Now" with a quickness; I'm pretty sure I started within 24 hours of getting my NetGalley approval.
Ava and Brin are identical twins. They definitely share that twin bond. When they take off for an adventure in memory of their late mother, they run into more than they bargained for... and by that, I mean other versions of themselves.
The story was twisty and eerie, but it also took you on a journey about your individual self. Sometimes I did get a bit confused with "Our Ana" and "Other Ana" etc. But, overall, I enoyed it.
3.5 Stars Rounded to 4
Publication Date : 1.19.2027
Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ava and Brin are identical twins. They definitely share that twin bond. When they take off for an adventure in memory of their late mother, they run into more than they bargained for... and by that, I mean other versions of themselves.
The story was twisty and eerie, but it also took you on a journey about your individual self. Sometimes I did get a bit confused with "Our Ana" and "Other Ana" etc. But, overall, I enoyed it.
3.5 Stars Rounded to 4
Publication Date : 1.19.2027
Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The concept of this book was 100% for me. Unfortunately, nothing else was.
The academic writing style kept me at arm’s length and I never felt settled into the environment or connected with any of the characters. Consequently, I never really cared what happened to them. I almost DNF-ed several times, always after a scene that arguably should have been interesting. Every time Hellman managed to build even an inkling of intrigue it was followed up by something inane.
I can’t buy into horror when the characters experiencing it only seem capable of reacting by thinking “that’s impossible” and then…calmly continuing on.
The academic writing style kept me at arm’s length and I never felt settled into the environment or connected with any of the characters. Consequently, I never really cared what happened to them. I almost DNF-ed several times, always after a scene that arguably should have been interesting. Every time Hellman managed to build even an inkling of intrigue it was followed up by something inane.
I can’t buy into horror when the characters experiencing it only seem capable of reacting by thinking “that’s impossible” and then…calmly continuing on.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I read this book on NetGalley, thank you to the publishers for the advanced copy.
I'm not really sure what to say about this one! This book was so incredibly odd. I thought the premise was fascinating (a pair of identical twins go on vacation and discover an identical copy of themselves is following them), but I just could not understand what was going on. I felt like the author wrote in a way that left me frequently going back and re-reading to see if I had missed something. There were a few themes (like AI) that could've been fleshed out more, but just weren't. There were also characters who were important to the story but also completely unexplained.
The book is quite short, and I think that is to its detriment. I finished and was left feeling unsure of what I had just read.
Cool premise, but really strangely executed.
I'm not really sure what to say about this one! This book was so incredibly odd. I thought the premise was fascinating (a pair of identical twins go on vacation and discover an identical copy of themselves is following them), but I just could not understand what was going on. I felt like the author wrote in a way that left me frequently going back and re-reading to see if I had missed something. There were a few themes (like AI) that could've been fleshed out more, but just weren't. There were also characters who were important to the story but also completely unexplained.
The book is quite short, and I think that is to its detriment. I finished and was left feeling unsure of what I had just read.
Cool premise, but really strangely executed.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Indecipherables is a weird and twisty novel that does seem like something out of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. Twins Ava and Brin are on a roadtrip, but another pair of the twins are also on the same roadtrip. They meet. Only one pair is left. I'm still not quite sure how everything happened, but it was an interesting read. I didn't completely vibe with the writing/narration style, but it was a trippy, unique story. I'd definitely give it a 3.75, so I'm rounding up to four.
Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
May 9, 2026
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This book was not what I was expecting. I loved how the twins were trying to reconnect. The other twins were very odd and eerily similar to our original twins. It did get a bit confusing with the twins being referred to as the other ones.
This book had me hooked wondering, which set of twins would be victorious. I am shocked how it ended I can’t believe it. I would definitely recommend this book!
This book was not what I was expecting. I loved how the twins were trying to reconnect. The other twins were very odd and eerily similar to our original twins. It did get a bit confusing with the twins being referred to as the other ones.
This book had me hooked wondering, which set of twins would be victorious. I am shocked how it ended I can’t believe it. I would definitely recommend this book!
May 11, 2026
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In short, this book felt like a Black Mirror episode. It was a very interesting read, I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before. I give it 3 stars because I am not a big fan of books with a lot of inner monologue and this book is full of it, being about twins, which is understandable. Anyone who enjoys that though would probably love it!
In short, this book felt like a Black Mirror episode. It was a very interesting read, I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before. I give it 3 stars because I am not a big fan of books with a lot of inner monologue and this book is full of it, being about twins, which is understandable. Anyone who enjoys that though would probably love it!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was very intrigued by the premise of this story: a set of twins being tracked by themselves... a set up for something really cosmic and interesting.
However, I really couldn't connect with either of the women. They were hollow an emotionless, not really showing much surprise or care when something strange happens. I found myself a little bored at times, and the writing style is strangely juvenile.
I liked the idea of this story, but it must just be one of those that's not for me sadly.
However, I really couldn't connect with either of the women. They were hollow an emotionless, not really showing much surprise or care when something strange happens. I found myself a little bored at times, and the writing style is strangely juvenile.
I liked the idea of this story, but it must just be one of those that's not for me sadly.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An atmospheric and eerie slow burn. The uncanny sameness of twins has long been exploited for horror, but this feels fresh. The writing style is spare and creeping, and in some ways you know what's coming as you read, yet the author still manages a surprise or two. I love when a writer really goes for it, and the style really sells this story.
Currently Reading
May 13, 2026received an advanced copy from netgallery - review to come
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
2.5 stars rounded up- rtc but what did i just read???
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May 17, 2026I recieved an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My review will be posted after the book is published!
My review will be posted after the book is published!
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