Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney Summary

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney is a domestic thriller about Adam and Amelia Wright, a married couple whose relationship is falling apart. They embark on a weekend getaway to a remote converted chapel in the Scottish Highlands, hoping to save their marriage. However, secrets, lies, and a mysterious third character named Robin turn their anniversary trip into a suspenseful battle for survival, culminating in shocking plot twists that redefine everything readers thought they knew about the couple's relationship.

Rock Paper Scissors is perfect for thriller enthusiasts who love unpredictable plot twists and unreliable narrators. Readers who enjoyed psychological suspense novels like Gone Girl or The Woman in the Window will appreciate Feeney's intricate plotting. This book appeals to fans of domestic thrillers exploring marriage dynamics, dark secrets, and atmospheric Gothic settings. It's also ideal for readers who appreciate complex character development and stories that keep them guessing until the final pages.

Rock Paper Scissors is absolutely worth reading for thriller fans seeking genuinely surprising twists. Reviewers consistently praise Alice Feeney's ability to craft unpredictable plot turns that make logical sense rather than feeling forced. The atmospheric Scottish Highlands setting, combined with the unique element of Adam's face blindness (prosopagnosia), creates a fresh take on the domestic thriller genre. Multiple readers report devouring the book in one sitting, unable to predict the ending despite their best efforts.

Prosopagnosia, or face blindness, is a neurological condition that prevents Adam Wright from recognizing people's faces, including his own wife's. In Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney, this condition becomes a crucial plot device that heightens suspense and vulnerability. Adam must rely on other cues like voices and clothing to identify people, creating anxiety at social events and making him dependent on others. This disability brilliantly amplifies the mystery and enables key plot twists throughout the thriller.

Rock Paper Scissors features several jaw-dropping revelations that redefine the entire narrative. The biggest twist reveals that Robin, the cottage keeper, is actually Adam's first wife—not Amelia. The anniversary letters readers assumed were from Amelia were written by Robin all along. Another major twist exposes that Amelia was involved in the hit-and-run that killed Adam's mother years earlier. These revelations cascade into a violent confrontation that determines who survives the weekend and transforms the story completely.

The anniversary letters in Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney serve as a narrative device revealing the marriage's hidden history. Each letter corresponds to a traditional anniversary gift (paper, cotton, pottery, tin) and chronicles significant events in the relationship. The letters progressively expose betrayals, including Adam's affair with Amelia while married to Robin. This epistolary structure creates suspense by filling in backstory gaps while the present-day chapel drama unfolds, building toward the shocking revelation about who actually wrote them.

Rock Paper Scissors is set in an isolated converted chapel in the Scottish Highlands during winter. The remote, Gothic location becomes a character itself—cold, creaky, and miles from civilization with no cell service. The eerie atmosphere of the old chapel, combined with power outages and strange occurrences, amplifies the psychological tension between Adam and Amelia. Reviewers consistently highlight how the claustrophobic, atmospheric setting enhances the suspense and creates the perfect backdrop for secrets to unravel.

Robin initially appears as a mysterious cottage keeper living near the chapel in Rock Paper Scissors. However, in a major plot twist, Robin is revealed to be Adam Wright's first wife, not merely a caretaker. She orchestrated the entire weekend getaway to confront Adam and Amelia about their betrayal. Robin is also revealed to be the daughter of Henry Winter, the crime novelist whose books Adam adapts. Her complex motivations drive the thriller's most shocking moments.

Rock Paper Scissors explores themes of marital deception, revenge, and how secrets corrode relationships over time. The novel examines how people change throughout a marriage and whether couples truly know their partners. Betrayal runs throughout—romantic infidelity, hidden pasts, and deadly secrets that span decades. The book also addresses trust, identity (through Adam's face blindness), and the lengths people will go to reclaim or destroy love. These dark psychological themes create a suspenseful meditation on relationship dynamics.

Rock Paper Scissors maintains Alice Feeney's signature style of unreliable narrators and shocking twists seen in Sometimes I Lie and His and Hers. However, this thriller differs with a slower-paced first half and less aggressive chapter-ending cliffhangers. Reviewers note the Gothic atmospheric setting feels more pronounced than her previous work. Like Feeney's earlier novels, Rock Paper Scissors features multiple perspectives and philosophical one-liners, though some readers found these less seamlessly integrated than in her previous thrillers.

Rock Paper Scissors stands out through its unique combination of Adam's prosopagnosia (face blindness), the epistolary anniversary letters structure, and genuinely unpredictable twists. Unlike many domestic thrillers, the revelations feel earned rather than contrived, with multiple reviewers praising how the twists logically fit together. The Gothic Scottish setting adds atmospheric horror elements uncommon in typical marriage thrillers. Alice Feeney's philosophical observations about relationships and human nature also elevate the book beyond standard psychological suspense fare.

No, Rock Paper Scissors consistently surprises even experienced thriller readers. Multiple reviewers who typically predict plot twists admitted Alice Feeney fooled them completely. The novel subverts expectations multiple times, with the Robin revelation and Amelia's role in the mother's death catching readers off-guard. While the first half moves slower, building suspense through atmosphere and character development, the final 25% delivers rapid-fire revelations. Readers praised Feeney's ability to plant subtle clues that only make sense in retrospect, making the twists satisfying rather than cheap.