His & Hers

Alice Feeney is known for her twisty psychological thrillers such as Daisy Darker and Sometimes I Lie. His & Hers rests comfortably within this genre of fiction. However, the text also plays with a setting evocative of a cozy mystery, and Jack’s position as the lead detective on the case is the defining trope of a procedural mystery. Feeney uses aspects from neighboring genres to heighten the central problems experienced in psychological thrillers: deciding whom to trust and what is real.

Psychological thrillers tend to feature common tones and tropes. They often depict antagonists with atypical psychologies, such as antisocial or paranoid personality disorders. Protagonists contend with deceit, gaslighting, and suspicion as they try to solve—and survive—the mystery. They further delve into the protagonists’ psyches and the mental or emotional states that shape their perspectives. Anna’s and Jack’s investigations are compromised by their determination to conceal certain pieces of evidence, avoid certain discoveries, and bury certain memories. The modern psychological thriller owes a debt to both Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Hitchcock. Both explored the ways that individual psychologies mediate external events and exploit imperfect information as a source of dread.