The Split: A Novel

“It’s great fun to watch [Kit] Frick’s two narratives collide and diverge.” —The New York Times Book Review

From critically acclaimed author Kit Frick, this “storytelling feat, with twin narratives that race each other to a satisfying—and shocking—conclusion” (Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author), follows a pair of sisters into a family’s dark past, illuminating how a single choice can drastically alter the trajectory of a life

Sisters Jane and Esme used to be thick as thieves. But as adults, pragmatic, dependable Jane regrets the distance that has grown between them. So when beautiful and impetuous Esme calls Jane during a flash summer storm, announcing she’s left her high society husband, Jane is shocked to learn that her little sister wishes to stay with her. Could this be an opportunity for them to become close again? The only catch: Esme needs a ride from the city to their small Connecticut hometown, and Jane is terrified of getting on the highway. The storm is raging, and Jane can’t escape the horrible memory of how she nearly killed Esme while driving in a downpour when they were teens.

Jane must either let Esme stand on her own two feet for once or swallow her fear and jump to her younger sister’s rescue—and her choice cleaves her life in two.

In one reality, Jane tells Esme to crash with a friend. Twenty-four hours later, her sister is missing. Tortured by regret, Jane dedicates herself to piecing together Esme’s life before her disappearance, unraveling a web of lies, broken relationships, and, finally, the truth.

In the other reality, Jane gets in the car and offers her less-than-grateful sister a ride. But while Jane hopes living together in their childhood home will be healing, Esme is aloof and increasingly reckless. The tension between the sisters builds until they are finally forced to reckon with the explosive secret from their past that could destroy their fragile bond—and both their lives.

With a breakneck pace and shocking twists and turns, The Split captivatingly explores how little we know the ones we love—and how one small choice can change everything.

Kit Frick is a MacDowell Fellow and International Thriller Writers Award finalist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Syracuse University. She is the author of the young adult thrillers Before We Were Sorry (originally published as See All the Stars), All Eyes on Us, I Killed Zoe Spanos, Very Bad People, and The Reunion, as well as the poetry collection A Small Rising Up in the Lungs. The Split is her first novel for adults. Kit loves a good mystery but has only ever killed her characters. Honest. Visit Kit online at KitFrick.com and on Instagram @KitFrick.

ISBN: 9781668022474
Format: Hardback
Pages: 288
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Published: February 13, 2024

"Should she stay or should she go? In each scenario, Frick slowly ratchets up the suspense . . . it's great fun to watch her two narratives collide and diverge.""Double the suspense! THE SPLIT is both funhouse mirror and storytelling feat, with twin narratives that race each other to a satisfying — and shocking — conclusion.""In this clever domestic thriller by Kit Frick, one split decision takes two twisty paths in a crafty sliding doors plot. The characters leap from the pages and the family dysfunction feels both complex and grounded. A highly relatable and page-turning read!""A knotty Sliding Doors–esque thriller about two sisters who share a dark secret. . . Frick keeps readers deliriously off-balance, tossing out just enough breadcrumbs to make the truth seem obvious only in hindsight. The format gives new life to the unreliable narrator trope. This is an exhilarating puzzle.""Frick’s family drama uses its clever framing device to trace the very real mysteries imbedded in our oldest and most intimate relationships.""Utterly absorbing and compulsively readable, THE SPLIT is a clever Sliding Doors-style thriller that brilliantly examines how a single decision can derail an entire life. At once an intriguing puzzle threaded with secrets and lies, and a compelling family drama exploring the complicated bonds of sisterhood, THE SPLIT is a novel you won't be able to put down -- or forget." "A masterfully crafted, inventive thriller that surprises at every turn. THE SPLIT is unlike anything I've ever read before.""An edge-of-your-seat suspense tale about sisters and secrets. . . . Frick leaves readers breathless.""In a taut thriller with two timelines, both are packed with clever twists. . . . Frick skillfully builds details into one plot that morph into something shockingly different in the other. The prose is streamlined, the pace headlong, and the surprises satisfying on both sides of reality.""The only thing better than one mystery is TWO!"