Birthright

by Charles Lambert

A sublime psychological thriller from Polari Prize-shortlisted Charles Lambert.

Sixteen-year-old Fiona inhabits a privileged world of English affluence, though her relationship with her widowed mother is strained. When she discovers an old newspaper clipping of a woman and her daughter – the little girl a mirror image of her own younger self – she becomes convinced she has a true family elsewhere. Four years later, with the help of charming fraudster Patrick, Fiona drops everything to seek out her doppelgänger in Italy.

Fiona arrives in Rome to find Maddy living hand to mouth with her alcoholic mother. Spooked by the appearance of this strange girl wearing her face and stalking her every move, Maddy wants nothing to do with her. Caught in a surreal push-and-pull, the two are both fascinated and repulsed by the oddly familiar other, each coveting a different life. But they aren’t the only ones trying to control their fate, and the two women will soon learn that people aren’t always what they seem – though blood may still prove thicker than water.

Birthright is a dark, gripping literary thriller for fans of Ian McEwan, Rupert Thomson and Edward St Aubyn

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2023

About the author

Charles Lambert was born in the United Kingdom but has lived in Italy for most of his adult life. His most recent novel is Birthright, set in Rome in the 1980s and examining what happens when two young women discover that they are identical twins, separated at birth. In 2022, he published The Bone Flower, a Gothic love story with a sinister edge, set in Victorian London. His previous novel, Prodigal, shortlisted for the Polari Prize in 2019, was described by the Gay & Lesbian Review as "Powerful… an artful hybrid of parable (as the title signifies), a Freudian family romance, a Gothic tale, and a Künstlerroman in the tradition of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.” For the Kirkus Review, The Children's Home, published in 2016, was 'a one-of-a-kind literary horror story', while Two Dark Tales, published in October 2017, continues to disturb. Earlier books include three novels, a collection of prize-winning short stories and a memoir, With a Zero at its Heart, selected by the Guardian as one of its top ten books from 2014.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billed as a psychological thriller, I would say the psychological aspect is definitely the main focus of the first two thirds of the book as the author deftly explores the dynamics between two young women each of whom were previously unaware of the other’s existence.

When Fiona discovers she has a twin sister and that her mother, Anne, is not her birth mother it acts as a kind of confirmation of the reason for their fractious relationship. The woman in the newspaper photograph seems more like the caring, easygoing mother Fiona should have had, leaving her feeling she has been cheated. I have to say I did feel slightly sorry for Anne because of the cold manner with which Fiona treats her, upping sticks and moving to Rome in pursuit of Maddy. And it does seem like a pursuit, because of the degree of subterfuge involved, including a ploy which is a homage to Frederick Forsyth’s novel, The Day of the Jackal.

I confess my sympathies lay more with Maddy who suddenly finds she has a sister – an identical twin sister at that – and one who is intent on inserting herself into her life.  Fiona is convinced that, being twins, there must be a natural connection between them. ‘How wonderful it would be to share a soul, to have that bond with someone, better than love, because love can fade or turn into hate; to have something that would always be there…’ She’s always looking for opportunities to point out the similarities between them, seeming to feel that because they look identical they must be identical.  But Maddy can only see the differences.  Fiona has had a privileged, financially secure upbringing whilst Maddy’s has been a hand-to-mouth, nomadic one caused by her mother’s inability to hold down a job and growing dependence on alcohol.  Even where they live demonstrates that difference: Fiona in a smart apartment, Maddy in a small, rundown flat.  At one point, Maddy goes out of her way to demonstrate that difference.

Each of them though at some point imagines being the other. Maddy muses, ‘Maybe I should take over everything… Her life, her flat. Her money. I’d be such an improvement on the original’.  Catching a bus to Maddy’s flat, Fiona reflects that Maddy would never take a taxi. ‘Today she wanted to be Maddy, or as close to Maddy as she could get. She wanted to be the daughter her mother had chosen.’

Fiona idealises Heather, her birth mother, finding every opportunity she can to spend time alone with her, even involving her longtime friend, Ludovico, in distracting Maddy’s attention. But Maddy sees only the damaged woman she has had to singlehandedly care for.  It’s difficult enough for Fiona and Maddy to deal with the fact Heather chose to give one of them away, depriving both of them of a sister and one of them of growing up with their birth mother. But what if that’s not the whole story?

The disruptor in the story is Patrick, Fiona’s boyfriend, who we know from pretty much early on is a wrong’un.  He’s clever but that cleverness is directed towards taking advantage of opportunities to manipulate others for his own benefit.  His involvement introduces the thriller element of the book with the author really ratcheting up the tension and the melodrama as the book moves to its conclusion, whilst also leaving some tantalising questions to be resolved in the epilogue.

Birthright is an absorbing combination of suspenseful mystery and complex family drama.

[Monika Armet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiona is an heiress, set to inherit a large fortune when she turns twenty one. Her beloved Daddy died few years ago, and now it’s her and her cold and detached mother, whom Fiona despises with all her heart.

When Fiona was sixteen, she was snooping in her mother’s possessions and stumbled upon a newspaper clipping about a rock concert – in the photo, there was a young girl who looked exactly like Fiona. Only it wasn’t Fiona, because she knows her prim and proper mother would never allow her to visit such a venue.

Fast-forward few years. Fiona is twenty, nearly twenty-one, and she finally finds out the identity of the mysterious girl from the newspaper article. Her name is Maddy Thomsett, who lives in Italy with her mother, Heather.

Fiona’s family used to spend their holidays in Italy and she’s a fluent speaker of the language. With some help from an Italian friend, she sets off to Italy to find Maddy, her long-lost twin… How will Maddy react?

I really enjoyed this book.

The two women were polar opposites: Fiona was a spoiled, rich girl; whereas Maddy was looking after her alcoholic mother and living in poverty.

Despite this, Fiona seemed envious of Maddy’s life, and Maddy resented her twin for her luxurious upbringing and never wanting for anything.

I could see both sides of the story, but I found it easier to sympathise with Maddy, who didn’t know she had a sister and the whole thing was a shock to her. Fiona had known this for good few years and she set the whole thing up with sterile precision. I didn’t like how Fiona treated her mother in England, it was just awful.

Overall, it’s a great story with some complex characters and issues. I recommend it.

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having loved Bone Flower, I was very excited to get the chance to read Lambert's newest offering. This was very different in some ways, much more recently set, not so gothic in style, but not so much in others; still intensely creepy at times.

I loved the idea behind this, twins separated at birth, although done many times before, twins are just a fascinating subject. And I say that as a twin! These girls couldn't have been more different, having been raised in completely different circumstances, yet they share a face.

There were lots of paths that you get lead down on this read, so many twists. I'll be honest I never warmed to Fiona - the girl who had it all, but was intensely ungrateful for it. I do think her mother was a bit cold but the hatred Fiona holds felt unwarranted and very petulant. Think your worst teenage attitude filled tantrum and times it by 20, that's Fiona.

I also found her actions and reactions to situations really strange and hard to relate to at times.

Maddy however was much easier to relate to and understand, and her thoughts and feelings about the situation she found herself in were much more logical (in my mind).

Patrick was the perfect villain (and I don't think that's a spoiler to say so) - his slimeness really came through the pages, he was very well written.

It's hard to say too much without giving away the twists, but I really thought the ending was going into a different direction than it did (probably due to my prejudice against Fiona), and I very much enjoyed how it ended. I'd have liked to understand more behind Ludovico's thoughts and motives but everything else wrapped up pretty nicely!

A twisty, clever and intense read.

[Els · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do when you when you find a newspaper clipping in one of your mother's drawers of a girl looking exactly like you with a woman you don't know. One thing is for sure: the girl isn't you and you have never seen that woman before...

The resemblance is devastating. She is the spitting image of you. She must be your twin. There is no doubt about that. 

You want to find out more and with a little help of some friends, you discover where she lives and getting to know her and more importantly getting to the bottom of the whole story is a priority for you.

You look so alike, but your lives could have not been more different. One sister reaches out. The other does not want to know. Will they bond anyway or will they continue to live separate lives?

I would not call this book a thriller. For me it's rather about a family drama with a hint of suspense, a lot of lies an deceit. In the end it's very hard to point a finger to an honest character. They all have their own agenda and do whatever they can to make it happen.

Is it possible to live a lie and still be happy...?

An entertaining story with a very promising beginning, a lot of pushing and pulling in the middle and a surprising end. 4 stars

Thank you

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, and I enjoyed reading it very much. As a psychological thriller it hits its target perfectly and kept me gripped throughout. In fact, the more I read, the more I wondered in which direction the author would take the story.

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[David Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birthright is a twisty, wicked story, a story of identity, loss and yearning, and it's just brilliant.

Fiona is growing up to a privileged lifestyle in England. She has wealthy parents and an expensive boarding school - but also a feeling that something is just, well, off. She got on better with her father than her mother, and when he dies, resents her for ending the regular holidays in Italy during which she met handsome Lorenzo and his friends. Her mum's stuffy, Thatcher-worshiping friends repel Fiona (this is the late 70s/ early 80s) and a friend she makes at school shows her the delights of a chaotic household where feelings are accepted and spoken about.

Maddy, in contrast, has grown up in poverty (albeit the sort of hippyish, self-inflicted poverty adopted by rebellious children of privilege, fun until the money runs out). She has never known a father, her mother dallying with a series of men, some merely useless, others positively dangerous (there are some truly dark episodes described). Age, shortage of money and circumstance have left the two washed up in a grim flat in Rome, which is where Fiona becomes aware of Maddy - the two young women have an uncanny resemblance to one another.

When Fiona discovers this, she becomes Maddy's obsessive stalker, deeply, creepily jealous of the other girl and determined to prove a link between them, despite their very different backgrounds. That aspect of the story - kind of a detective mystery with a psychological twist - makes this an easy book to get into. Add in a handsome charmer - Fiona's jailbird boyfriend - and the romantic streets of Rome, and Lambert has produced a heady, painful but clinically well-observed story with plenty of twists and turns.

But there's more besides. Beneath the mystery of the two young women, a central theme here is envy, the sense that Fiona (but also, Maddy, to a degree) have that the other is luckier, happier, possessed of something they don't. One's sympathies ping pong between them. Fiona's clearly had a very chilly upbringing, but then, she is going to be very wealthy, she literally wants for nothing, so, one might think, she can at least be unhappy in comfort and will have time and space to sort out what she wants in life. Instead she determines that she will be Maddy's sister, and that that will make everything right for her.

If only. Maddy herself has a very complex relationship with her alcoholic mother, but still resents Fiona's restless, prowling attentions and doesn't want their not-so-perfect life turning upside down. The emotional temperature between Fiona and Maddy is high, the pages fairly crackling with electricity, with attempts at understanding, unreasonable expectations and some spectacular tantrums. Neither very likeable, the reader will I think come to understand and sympathise with both, wishing that they might find some way to accept one another's existence - or perhaps, to separate and get on with their separate lives.

But it seems they can do neither. I had to remember that despite both having, in different ways, an apparently sophistication in the ways of the world, they are both, really, very very young and the upbringing of neither has really been conducive to emotional maturity and understanding. You couldn't really imagine two women less suited to navigating the storms of longing and resentment that they find themselves in (not to speak of a complex romantic rivalry that develops).

That complexity was one of the things that for me made Birthright such an excellent read. The book has it all - brilliantly depicted characters, greater and greater tension and beautiful Roman atmosphere and settings (you will feel you are there!) (Also, smoking. Lots and lots of smoking. After all, it is set in the 70s and 80s.)

Best of all though, it really draws the reader in, putting her or him in Fiona's place, in Maddy's.

What would you do, you'll wonder? What would you want? How would I get out of this? Would I even try? Where will it all lead?

All in all, Birthright is a fantastic book, one I'd heartily recommend.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story - really enjoyed the style of writing - will read more of Lambert

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery of twin relationships set in ROME



YOU TUBE REVIEW: https://youtu.be/izNz2REnTUc

This is the story of twins – Maddy and Fiona – seemingly separated at birth.

Fiona sees a photo of a child that is the spitting image of herself but she knows it cannot be her because the woman, with whom she is depicted, is not her mother. Nor does she recognise the setting. The mother and child appear to be at a concert in Hyde Park, so it is perhaps taken in the 1960s. Fiona is mesmerised by this photo and knows she has to unravel the mystery, something that feels so personal to her.

After a little investigation, she discovers the identity of the child and that she now lives in Rome. Fiona throws caution to the wind, gives up her PPE studies and takes up Italian, with the clear intention of moving to Rome. Her old friend Ludovico ably assists her in finding accommodation and now, working at the Uni, she fortuitously comes across Maddy. But as anyone can imagine, the shock of discovering someone, who is so similar to yourself, takes quite some managing. It is not an easy encounter and Fiona’s determination to meet Maddy’s mother, who just has to be her ‘real’ mother, becomes overwhelming, bordering on obsessive. Fiona has a very poor relationship with her own mother, and is glad to be out of her clutches. Maddy herself is looking after her mother, who has alcohol issues and struggles to cope with life.

As Fiona is trying to manage this new-found relationship, Patrick, a boyfriend and ne’er do well from her past, turns up and the growing group of friends dance around each other like a dipping and diving murder of crows, scheming and planning next moves.

The author is a compelling writer who keeps the sense of mystery around the young women’s separation at the heart of the novel. An intriguing and engaging read.

[Karen Mace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cleverly written piece of dark fiction! There's always an unease about the goings on , and the characters can be very untrustworthy so you're always playing that guessing game as to where the drama will unfold and take them next! And I was proved wrong on many occasions with this book!

It centres around twins, who were both living very separate lives and didn't know of the existence of the other until a photo is found by Fiona, who has lived a life of privilege and a strained relationship with her widowed mother. She sees this girl in a photo who looks like her but isn't her! What can she do other than go about tracking her down to find out more.

And her journey takes her to Rome, where we are introduced to Maddy, who lives a very poor existence as she takes care of her ill mother. We get the story from both twins and they couldn't be more different in character - you find it very hard to feel any sympathy for Fiona as she's comes accross as a spoiled brat! But both girls are thrown by the appearance of each other in their lives and leaves them questioning who they think they are and what else have they been lied to over the years.

I loved the intrigue behind the storylines and it is really full of lies and deceit from all angles!!

[Becca Scammell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Birthright is a complex but cleverly written story. Full of lies, deceit, greed, mystery, intrigue, family, narcisissm, loyalty, frustration, loathing, hate, the power of jealousy and one where everyone has their own agenda with no regard for anyone unlucky enough to find themselves in their path.

It is a very character driven story that had a slow start. But picked up pace quite quickly. With lots of twists and turns. Fuelling the readers intrigue to want to keep turning the pages.

The characters of Patrick, Fiona and Maddy were well thought out and brilliantly portrayed. However, I would have liked to have had a bit more background with regards to Ludo. I also found myself wondering about the real relevance of Matteo within the storyline as well. It almost felt like he was just a side note.

All in all, it is a great storyline. With some really strong characters and one that will keep you guessing until the very end.

[Lara Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't end up finishing this in the end, I kept pushing as far as possible, but the story was going absolutely nowhere, majorly disapointed. The way the story was written was repetitive and bland, there was no climax. The whole book could of been shorter and way more detailed. The dialogue was incredibly cheesy and a lot of it unnecessary. I was intrigued by the whole concept of a girl finding a newspaper clipping with a photo of a girl identical to her and her journey to discovering who it is, the way the blurb was described sounded cool, but it basically just focused on long lost twins in a love triangle.

[Adrienne Flitcroft · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book quite boring & the storyline was very dragged out.

[Gwen Havern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, exploration of characters— hated maddie though and it dragged on at times

[Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a less mean and psychopathic Highsmith.