Rock Paper Scissors

Overview and Opening

Alice Feeney's "Rock Paper Scissors" is a psychological thriller that unfolds over the course of a weekend getaway that goes horrifyingly wrong. The novel centers on Adam and Amelia Wright, a married couple who have been together for a decade but find their relationship deteriorating under the weight of secrets, lies, and unspoken resentments. The story begins when Adam wins a weekend trip to Scotland in a screenwriting competition he doesn't remember entering. Despite their strained relationship and Amelia's initial reluctance, they decide to go, hoping the time away might help them reconnect or at least provide clarity about their future together.

The narrative structure is deliberately fragmented, told from alternating perspectives of Adam and Amelia, along with excerpts from what appears to be someone's diary or letters. This multi-layered approach immediately creates tension and uncertainty, as readers quickly realize that neither narrator may be entirely reliable. The couple arrives at Blackwater Loch, a remote chapel in the Scottish Highlands that has been converted into a secluded retreat. Cut off from civilization by a snowstorm that knocks out the power and phone lines, they find themselves truly alone—or so they believe. The isolation of the setting becomes a character itself, amplifying every tension and making escape impossible.

From the opening chapters, Feeney establishes an atmosphere of dread. Small details seem off: the competition Adam supposedly won, the peculiar nature of the remote location, and the couple's awkward interactions that reveal years of accumulated hurt. Adam, a screenwriter struggling with his career, and Amelia, who works at the BBC, have grown apart in ways both obvious and subtle. They communicate in careful, measured tones, like strangers performing the roles of husband and wife rather than truly embodying them.

The Couple's Troubled History

Through flashbacks skillfully woven into the present-day narrative, Feeney reveals the complex history of Adam and Amelia's relationship. They met ten years ago under circumstances that seemed romantic at the time but take on a different cast when examined more closely. Adam has prosopagnosia, or face blindness—a condition that prevents him from recognizing faces, including his own wife's. This disability becomes a crucial element of both their relationship and the plot's eventual twists. Amelia initially found Adam's condition endearing, something that made him unique and vulnerable, but over time it has become another source of distance between them.

The novel explores how this neurological condition has affected their marriage in profound ways. Adam relies on other markers to identify Amelia—her voice, her perfume, the way she moves—but this also means he can never truly see her, at least not in the way most spouses see each other. For Amelia, there's a deep loneliness in being unrecognizable to the person who should know her best. The couple's inability to have children has added another layer of grief and blame to their relationship. The reader learns that they've suffered through failed IVF treatments and the heartbreak of infertility, each handling the pain differently and thus growing further apart.

Their past is also marked by other tragedies and secrets. Adam's career has stalled; he once had promise as a screenwriter, but years of rejection have worn down his confidence and sense of purpose. Amelia, meanwhile, has advanced in her career at the BBC, creating an imbalance in their relationship that neither acknowledges but both feel. Feeney reveals these details gradually, allowing readers to understand how a relationship that might have begun with genuine affection has curdled into something toxic, built on resentment, disappointment, and things left unsaid.

The Weekend at Blackwater Loch

The present-day action at Blackwater Loch unfolds with increasing claustrophobia and menace. The converted chapel is atmospheric and unsettling, filled with odd decorations and touches that don't quite make sense. When the power goes out due to the snowstorm, Adam and Amelia are forced to use candles and the fireplace, creating shadows that seem to hide threats in every corner. They discover a vintage Polaroid camera and begin taking pictures, a detail that becomes significant as the story progresses. They also find old board games and, crucially, play rock-paper-scissors to make decisions—a callback to games they played earlier in their relationship.

As the weekend progresses, strange things begin to happen. Items go missing and reappear in different places. Both Adam and Amelia begin to suspect that they might not be alone in the chapel, that someone else might be there with them. The tension between the couple escalates as they're forced into proximity without distractions. Old arguments resurface, and new accusations are made. Adam suspects Amelia of having an affair with her colleague Bob, while Amelia has her own suspicions about Adam's fidelity and honesty.

The games of rock-paper-scissors take on increasing significance, used to determine everything from who will cook dinner to more consequential decisions. This children's game becomes a metaphor for their relationship—seemingly based on chance but potentially manipulated by those who know the patterns. Feeney uses these game sequences to build suspense, as the stakes of each round seem to increase. The isolated setting means that their usual escape routes—work, friends, separate spaces—are unavailable. They must confront each other and themselves.

Strange discoveries compound their unease. They find items that shouldn't be there, including personal belongings that suggest someone knows intimate details about their lives. Notes appear with cryptic messages. The atmosphere shifts from merely tense to genuinely threatening as both Adam and Amelia begin to fear not just for their marriage but for their safety. The question of who organized this trip and why becomes increasingly urgent.

Revelations and Twists

As the narrative builds toward its climax, Feeney begins deploying the twists for which she's known. The identity of the person whose perspective has been interspersed throughout the novel becomes a central mystery. Revelations about the past come fast, recontextualizing everything the reader has learned. One of the most significant revelations involves Amelia's sister, Robin, who died years ago under circumstances that have haunted both Adam and Amelia. Robin's death, we learn, is connected to their relationship in ways that are deeply troubling.

The novel reveals that Adam and Robin were in a relationship before Robin's death, and that Adam's relationship with Amelia began in the shadow of that loss. This revelation casts their entire marriage in a new light—was Amelia a replacement for Robin? Did Adam ever truly love Amelia for herself, or was she always a substitute for her sister? These questions torture both characters and the reader. The circumstances of Robin's death are gradually unveiled, showing that there's more to the story than a simple tragedy.

Another major twist involves the true nature of Adam's face blindness and how it has been both a genuine disability and, potentially, a convenient excuse. Questions arise about what Adam can and cannot actually see, and whether he has used his condition to hide truths or manipulate situations. The reliability of both narrators is called into serious question, as readers realize that both Adam and Amelia have been withholding crucial information—from each other and from us.

The mystery of who arranged the trip to Blackwater Loch is solved in a revelation that reframes the entire weekend. It wasn't a random prize but an elaborately planned confrontation. The question of whether there's a third person at the chapel, and if so, who they are and what they want, drives the tension to nearly unbearable levels. Feeney orchestrates these revelations carefully, ensuring that each twist genuinely surprises while also feeling inevitable in retrospect.

The Climax and Resolution

The novel's climax is intense and violent, bringing all the accumulated secrets and lies to a breaking point. Without revealing too much for potential readers, the ending involves a confrontation that has been building not just over the weekend but over the entire ten years of Adam and Amelia's relationship. The rock-paper-scissors game that has recurred throughout the novel takes on its ultimate significance, determining life-and-death outcomes.

Feeney's resolution is characteristic of her style—surprising yet grounded in the psychology she's carefully developed throughout the novel. The ending provides answers to the mysteries she's posed while also leaving certain elements open to interpretation. Questions about guilt, responsibility, and the nature of truth in relationships pervade the conclusion. The novel asks readers to consider how well we can ever truly know another person, especially someone we love, and whether some secrets are too toxic for a relationship to survive.

The final chapters reveal the true architect of the weekend's events and their motivations, which are rooted in the tragic past that has haunted all the characters. The resolution addresses not just the immediate danger at Blackwater Loch but also the larger questions about Adam and Amelia's marriage and whether it was ever built on a foundation solid enough to last. The ending is both conclusive and haunting, providing the satisfaction of answers while leaving readers with much to contemplate about the nature of love, obsession, and revenge.

In typical Feeney fashion, the very last pages contain additional revelations that cause readers to reconsider everything they've just read. The epilogue provides a final perspective shift that adds yet another layer to the story, ensuring that the novel lingers in readers' minds long after they've finished it. The resolution demonstrates Feeney's skill at constructing intricate plots where every detail matters and nothing is quite as it first appears.

Adam Wright: The Unreliable Narrator

Adam Wright serves as one of the novel's primary narrators, and his perspective is crucial to understanding the twisted dynamics of his marriage to Amelia. A screenwriter suffering from prosopagnosia—face blindness—Adam presents himself as a victim of circumstance, trapped in a loveless marriage with a woman who has grown cold and distant. His disability adds a layer of vulnerability to his character, making readers initially sympathetic to his plight. He cannot recognize faces, even his own wife's, which serves as a powerful metaphor for his inability to truly "see" the people around him or understand their motivations.

Throughout the narrative, Adam reveals himself to be deeply insecure and professionally frustrated. His career as a screenwriter has stalled, leaving him financially dependent on Amelia's more successful career. This economic imbalance feeds his resentment and feelings of emasculation. He describes his marriage in terms of competition and strategy, fitting perfectly with the book's title. His chapters often reveal a man who feels overlooked, undervalued, and trapped—emotions that Feeney crafts with careful precision to manipulate reader sympathy.

However, as the story progresses, cracks appear in Adam's carefully constructed narrative. His memories prove unreliable, his interpretations suspect, and his omissions telling. The revelation of his past actions, particularly regarding Robin and the circumstances of her death, reframe everything readers thought they knew about him. Adam emerges not as a hapless victim but as a manipulator who has orchestrated events to serve his own interests. His face blindness, which initially seemed like a disadvantage, becomes almost irrelevant compared to his moral blindness—his inability to see the harm he causes others.

Feeney brilliantly uses Adam's character to explore themes of perception versus reality. He sees himself as reasonable and wronged, but his actions tell a different story. His treatment of Amelia, his jealousy, his willingness to rewrite history to cast himself in a better light—all these elements combine to create a character who is simultaneously pitiable and reprehensible. By the novel's conclusion, readers understand that Adam's greatest disability isn't his prosopagnosia but his fundamental inability to take responsibility for his own choices.

Amelia Wright: The Strategic Survivor

Amelia Wright is perhaps the most complex and carefully constructed character in the novel. As the second narrator, she provides a counterpoint to Adam's perspective, and her chapters gradually reveal a woman who is far more calculating and damaged than she initially appears. A successful producer at the BBC, Amelia presents a polished exterior that conceals deep psychological scars and a capacity for long-term strategic thinking that rivals any thriller protagonist.

Amelia's character is defined by her relationship with control. In her professional life, she excels at managing chaos, making difficult decisions, and maintaining her composure under pressure. These same skills translate into her personal life, where she has spent years carefully managing her marriage to Adam, maintaining appearances while plotting her own survival. Her obsessive planning, her attention to detail, and her ability to think several steps ahead make her a formidable character who refuses to be simply a victim of her circumstances.

The revelation of Amelia's childhood trauma—her experiences with her abusive father and the fire that killed her parents—provides crucial context for understanding her adult behavior. She learned early that survival sometimes requires extreme measures and that the appearance of normalcy can mask terrible secrets. This history explains her difficulty with genuine intimacy, her need for control, and her willingness to engage in long-term deception. Feeney portrays Amelia's trauma with sensitivity while never using it as an excuse for her more questionable actions.

What makes Amelia particularly fascinating is her awareness of her own darkness. Unlike Adam, who consistently fails to recognize his own faults, Amelia knows exactly who and what she is. She acknowledges her coldness, her capacity for manipulation, and her willingness to do whatever necessary to protect herself. This self-awareness makes her both more sympathetic and more frightening. She has turned herself into a weapon, honed by years of pain and betrayal, and she wields that weapon with precision against anyone who threatens her.

The character's relationship with Robin adds another dimension to her complexity. Amelia's jealousy and suspicion regarding Adam and Robin's relationship reveals her vulnerability and her capacity for genuine emotion, even if those emotions are primarily negative. Her actions regarding Robin demonstrate how far she is willing to go when she perceives a threat, and the guilt she carries—or doesn't carry—about those actions speaks volumes about her moral framework. By the novel's end, Amelia stands as a testament to how trauma and survival instincts can reshape a person into something unrecognizable, someone capable of both protecting and destroying with equal efficiency.

Robin Wright: The Catalyst

Though Robin never appears directly in the present-day narrative of the novel, her presence looms over every page, making her one of the most important characters despite being deceased. Adam's younger sister represents innocence destroyed, potential unfulfilled, and the devastating consequences of the choices made by both Adam and Amelia. Feeney constructs Robin primarily through flashbacks and the memories of other characters, creating a portrait that is necessarily fragmented and filtered through guilty perspectives.

In Adam's recollections, Robin appears as a talented, beautiful, and kind-hearted young woman who looked up to her older brother and sought his approval. She was an aspiring actress with genuine talent, someone who saw the best in people and approached life with optimism and trust. This version of Robin emphasizes her vulnerability and makes her ultimate fate all the more tragic. Adam remembers her with a mixture of love, guilt, and possessiveness that speaks to complicated sibling dynamics and his own need to control the narrative even in memory.

Amelia's perspective on Robin is notably different and far less generous. She saw Robin as a threat—to her marriage, her security, and her carefully constructed life. In Amelia's memories, Robin is still young and perhaps naive, but she also appears as someone who may have been willing to betray her sister-in-law, whether through genuine attraction to Adam or simple thoughtlessness. This competing portrait of Robin creates ambiguity about who she really was and what actually happened between her and Adam, forcing readers to navigate between two unreliable narrators' versions of the truth.

The truth about Robin's death serves as the novel's central mystery and moral crisis. The revelation that she died under suspicious circumstances during a trip to Scotland, and that both Adam and Amelia bear responsibility for what happened to her, recontextualizes everything that comes before. Robin becomes more than just a character—she becomes a symbol of irreversible consequences and moral corruption. Her death is the original sin from which all other sins flow, the secret that has poisoned Adam and Amelia's marriage from within.

What makes Robin particularly effective as a character is her very absence. Feeney uses the blank space where Robin should be to create tension and dread. Every mention of her raises questions; every memory contains potential lies. Robin represents what both Adam and Amelia have lost—not just a person, but their own innocence and any claim to moral high ground. In death, she has more power over them than she ever did in life, haunting their marriage and driving them toward their inevitable confrontation. The character serves as a reminder that some actions cannot be undone, some losses cannot be recovered, and some truths, once revealed, change everything forever.

Secondary Characters and Supporting Cast

While "Rock Paper Scissors" primarily focuses on the toxic triangle of Adam, Amelia, and the absent Robin, Alice Feeney populates her novel with carefully chosen secondary characters who serve specific narrative functions and help illuminate the main characters' personalities and choices. These supporting players, though less developed, are far from mere window dressing—each one contributes to the novel's themes and revelations.

Bob, Adam's colleague and seemingly his only friend, represents the outside world's perception of Adam. Through Bob's eyes, readers see Adam as a somewhat pitiable figure—a talented writer struggling with his disability and trapped in a difficult marriage. Bob's kindness toward Adam and his concern for his friend's wellbeing make Adam seem more sympathetic, at least initially. However, Bob's limited perspective also demonstrates how effectively Adam has crafted his public persona. Bob sees only what Adam wants him to see, never suspecting the darker truths beneath the surface. This character serves as a reminder that people are rarely what they seem, and that our friends may be strangers hiding in familiar faces.

Amelia's colleagues at the BBC provide glimpses into her professional life and the version of herself she presents at work. They see her as competent, perhaps a bit cold, but ultimately successful and in control. These brief interactions highlight the stark difference between Amelia's public and private selves, showing how much energy she expends maintaining different personas for different audiences. The professional Amelia is everything the private Amelia wishes she could be—confident, untroubled, moving forward rather than trapped in the past.

The character of Mr. Roberts, who runs the chapel where Adam and Amelia are staying in Scotland, adds an element of gothic atmosphere to the novel. His knowledge of the chapel's history, his cryptic warnings, and his observations about the couple create an ominous backdrop for their weekend retreat. He serves as a kind of Greek chorus, someone who sees more than he says and whose presence reminds both characters and readers that this isolated location holds its own secrets and has witnessed its own tragedies. His character emphasizes the novel's themes about the past refusing to stay buried.

The parents of both Adam and Amelia, though appearing primarily in backstory, shape their children in fundamental ways. Adam's parents seemed conventional and supportive, making his current dysfunction feel like a deviation from his upbringing rather than a continuation of family patterns. This background makes his transformation more unsettling—he had every advantage, every opportunity to be better than he is. In contrast, Amelia's abusive father and complicit mother explain much about her survival instincts and her difficulty trusting others. The fire that killed them represents both trauma and liberation for Amelia, a dual legacy that she carries into her adult relationships.

Perhaps most intriguing among the secondary characters are the ones who appear only in letters, emails, or reported conversations—people whose exact words we never hear directly but whose influence is felt throughout. The police officer who investigated Robin's death, the doctors who treated her, the friends who knew the truth about various relationships—all these shadowy figures populate the margins of the story, suggesting that the truth Adam and Amelia have worked so hard to conceal may not be as secret as they believe. These peripheral characters remind readers that actions have witnesses, secrets have vulnerabilities, and the past has a way of finding voice through unexpected channels.

Character Relationships and Dynamics

The brilliance of "Rock Paper Scissors" lies not just in its individual character portraits but in the intricate web of relationships Feeney weaves between them. The central marriage between Adam and Amelia is a masterclass in dysfunction, a relationship that has curdled from whatever it once was into something toxic and potentially deadly. Their interactions are characterized by what is not said rather than what is, by strategic silences and careful performances. They have become opponents in a long-running game, each trying to outmaneuver the other while maintaining the fiction of normalcy.

The marriage is built on a foundation of secrets, lies, and shared guilt. Both Adam and Amelia are complicit in Robin's death, which creates a kind of mutual assured destruction dynamic—neither can fully expose the other without destroying themselves. This forced intimacy breeds resentment rather than closeness. They know too much about each other to ever truly separate, yet they know too much about each other to ever truly connect. Feeney explores how shared secrets can become prisons, trapping people together long after love has died.

The annual tradition of writing each other letters on their anniversary represents a fascinating ritual within this dysfunctional marriage. On the surface, it appears romantic—a way of expressing feelings that might not be voiced aloud. In reality, these letters become another battleground, another place where strategy matters more than sincerity. Each spouse must decide what to reveal, what to conceal, and what message to send. The letters are simultaneously honest and deceptive, containing genuine emotion wrapped in manipulation. They serve as a written record of the marriage's deterioration, documenting in real-time how two people can grow to despise each other while still remaining bound together.

The triangle between Adam, Amelia, and Robin provides the novel's central tension. Even in death, Robin remains a point of contention and connection between the married couple. Adam's relationship with his sister was complex—protective but also possessive, loving but also inappropriate in ways he refuses to acknowledge. Amelia's jealousy of Robin was both irrational and entirely justified, depending on which version of events one believes. The question of what really happened between Adam and Robin, and how far Amelia went to eliminate a perceived threat, hangs over the entire narrative.

What makes these relationship dynamics particularly effective is Feeney's refusal to provide easy answers or clear villains. Adam is both victim and perpetrator, sympathetic and repellent. Amelia is both survivor and aggressor, justified and cruel. Robin is both innocent victim and potential homewrecker, depending on perspective. The relationships shift and change as new information comes to light, forcing readers to constantly reassess their judgments and sympathies. This moral ambiguity reflects the reality that relationships, especially troubled ones, rarely have simple explanations or clear fault lines. People hurt each other for complex reasons, and guilt is often shared rather than concentrated in a single party.

The power dynamics within the marriage shift throughout the novel as secrets are revealed and vulnerabilities exposed. Initially, Amelia seems to hold more power—she's more successful professionally, more emotionally controlled, more aware of the game being played. However, Adam has his own forms of power—his disability grants him sympathy, his version of events has become the accepted narrative, and his willingness to play the victim is its own kind of weapon. The Scottish retreat becomes a battlefield where these power dynamics will be resolved once and for all, where one person will emerge victorious and the other will be destroyed. The game of rock, paper, scissors becomes a metaphor for their entire relationship—a contest where each choice can defeat one opponent but lose to another, where victory depends on predicting your opponent's move, and where the stakes are life and death.

The Fragility of Marriage and Secrets Between Spouses

Alice Feeney masterfully explores the deterioration of intimacy in marriage through Adam and Amelia's relationship. The novel presents marriage not as a fairy tale ending but as a complex battleground where secrets accumulate like sediment, gradually poisoning the foundation of trust. The couple's tenth anniversary trip to Scotland becomes a pressure cooker that forces long-buried truths to the surface.

Throughout the narrative, Feeney demonstrates how small deceptions compound over time. Adam's secret screenplay about their marriage, written without Amelia's knowledge, represents a fundamental betrayal of trust. Similarly, Amelia's concealment of her miscarriage and her inability to have children creates a chasm between them that widens with each passing year. The author illustrates how these omissions aren't necessarily malicious but stem from fear, shame, and the misguided belief that protecting one's partner from painful truths is an act of love.

The anniversary trip itself becomes a metaphor for their relationship—isolated, cold, and increasingly claustrophobic. The remote Scottish chapel, cut off from the outside world by snowstorms, mirrors their emotional isolation from one another. Feeney uses this setting to strip away the distractions of daily life, forcing the characters to confront what they've been avoiding. The lack of electricity and modern conveniences symbolizes the removal of all the barriers couples use to avoid genuine communication.

The novel also explores how external perceptions of marriage differ from internal realities. To the outside world, Adam and Amelia appear to be a successful, creative couple. Yet readers witness the resentments, disappointments, and unspoken grievances that fester beneath this polished exterior. This theme resonates with contemporary audiences who recognize the curated nature of relationships in the social media age versus the messy, complicated truth of intimate partnerships.

Memory, Perspective, and Unreliable Narration

Feeney employs multiple unreliable narrators to create a disorienting reading experience that mirrors the subjective nature of memory itself. The novel alternates between Adam's and Amelia's perspectives, along with mysterious letters from the past, creating a kaleidoscope of conflicting recollections and interpretations of the same events. This structure forces readers to question whose version of reality to trust, if any.

The author demonstrates how memory is not a reliable recording device but a creative, selective process influenced by emotion, trauma, and self-preservation. Adam and Amelia remember their shared history differently, each version colored by their own pain and perspective. For instance, their recollections of how they met, their early relationship, and pivotal moments in their marriage often contradict each other in subtle but significant ways. These discrepancies aren't simply plot devices; they reflect the genuine phenomenon of how couples can live through the same experiences yet retain fundamentally different memories.

The revelation of Amelia's face blindness (prosopagnosia) adds another layer to the theme of perception and recognition. Her inability to recognize faces becomes a powerful metaphor for how we can live with people yet fail to truly "see" them. This condition also creates uncertainty about identity throughout the narrative, as Amelia—and by extension, the reader—cannot always be certain who is who. The disability serves both as a plot mechanism and as a thematic exploration of how we know and recognize the people closest to us.

The flashback chapters, presented through old letters and memories, further complicate the narrative timeline. Feeney deliberately withholds certain information while providing other details, creating a puzzle that readers must assemble. This fragmented storytelling mirrors how we access our own pasts—through snapshots, emotional impressions, and reconstructed narratives rather than complete, linear recordings.

Obsession, Jealousy, and Toxic Love

The novel delves deep into the darker aspects of romantic attachment, exploring how love can curdle into obsession and possession. Through the character of Robin, Amelia's best friend who harbors secret feelings for her, Feeney illustrates how unrequited love can twist into something dangerous and controlling. Robin's decades-long fixation on Amelia demonstrates how obsession masquerades as devotion, and how the obsessed individual rationalizes increasingly extreme behavior as acts of love and protection.

The childhood friendship between Amelia and Robin provides the foundation for understanding how healthy affection transformed into unhealthy attachment. Feeney traces the evolution of Robin's feelings from genuine friendship through jealousy of Adam to ultimately catastrophic intervention. The author explores how Robin's isolation, combined with an inability to accept rejection or move forward, creates a festering resentment that expresses itself through manipulation and violence.

Adam's jealousy of Amelia's success as a writer also contributes to the toxic dynamics in their marriage. His own failures as a screenwriter contrast sharply with her bestselling novels, creating a power imbalance that breeds resentment. Feeney portrays how professional envy can poison personal relationships, particularly when one partner's identity is threatened by the other's achievements. Adam's secret screenplay about their marriage represents an attempt to reclaim narrative control and professional relevance, even if it means exploiting their most intimate moments.

The game of rock, paper, scissors that recurs throughout the novel becomes a symbol of the power struggles inherent in relationships. What begins as a playful way to make decisions reveals itself as a method of control and manipulation. The game's appearance at crucial moments highlights how relationships can become contests where one person must lose for the other to win, rather than partnerships where both parties support each other.

Identity and Self-Deception

Feeney explores how characters construct and maintain false versions of themselves, both for others and for their own psychological survival. Amelia's career as a novelist who writes under a pseudonym literalizes the theme of hidden identity. Her professional persona exists separately from her private self, and the gap between these versions creates cognitive dissonance and opportunities for deception.

The novel examines how trauma shapes identity and how individuals cope with unbearable truths through self-deception and denial. Amelia's repression of childhood memories, particularly those involving her sister and the tragic events that shaped her life, demonstrates how the mind protects itself by burying painful experiences. However, Feeney shows that these buried truths don't disappear; they manifest in anxiety, nightmares, and behavioral patterns that the conscious mind doesn't understand.

Adam's identity crisis, stemming from his professional failures and his role as the less successful partner, drives many of his choices throughout the narrative. He struggles with who he is versus who he believed he would become, and this gap fuels his resentment and desperation. His willingness to betray Amelia's trust by writing about their marriage shows how threatened identity can lead to ethical compromises.

The theme of identity extends to the question of nature versus nurture explored through the revelation of family secrets and the impact of childhood experiences on adult behavior. Characters grapple with whether they are defined by their genetics, their upbringing, or their choices. The inheritance of mental illness, trauma, and behavioral patterns raises questions about free will and determinism that Feeney leaves deliberately ambiguous.

Narrative Structure and Dual Timelines

Feeney employs a sophisticated narrative structure that alternates between the present-day anniversary trip, flashbacks to the couple's history, and mysterious letters from the past. This multi-layered approach creates suspense while gradually revealing the complex backstory that explains the present crisis. The structure itself becomes a literary device that reflects the novel's themes of memory and perspective.

The present-tense chapters set in the Scottish chapel create immediacy and tension, as readers experience the escalating danger alongside the characters. These sections are characterized by short, punchy sentences and rapid pacing that mirror the characters' increasing anxiety. In contrast, the flashback chapters often adopt a more reflective, nostalgic tone that gradually darkens as revelations emerge. This tonal shift helps readers distinguish between timelines while also showing how the past has been romanticized or distorted in memory.

The epistolary elements—the letters that appear throughout the novel—add another narrative layer. These letters, whose author and recipient remain mysterious for much of the book, provide crucial information while raising new questions. The letter format creates intimacy and confession, as if readers are privy to private communications. When the letters' context is finally revealed, they reframe earlier events and force readers to reconsider assumptions.

Feeney's use of chapter endings as mini-cliffhangers demonstrates her understanding of suspense mechanics. Nearly every chapter concludes with a revelation, question, or moment of danger that propels readers forward. This structure, borrowed from serialized storytelling, creates an addictive reading experience while serving the thriller genre's demands for constant momentum.

Symbolism and Motifs

The titular game of rock, paper, scissors functions as the novel's central symbol, representing the power dynamics, chance, and cyclical patterns that govern the characters' lives. The game appears at pivotal moments throughout the narrative, from the couple's first meeting to life-or-death decisions in the climax. Its simplicity belies the complex meanings Feeney layers onto it: the illusion of fairness masking manipulation, the way arbitrary rules govern behavior, and how relationships often reduce to win-lose scenarios.

The Scottish chapel itself operates as a Gothic symbol, evoking classic locked-room mysteries and psychological horror. The building's history as a place of worship now abandoned suggests the death of faith—both religious and interpersonal. The chapel's physical deterioration mirrors the decay of Adam and Amelia's marriage. Its isolation emphasizes the characters' inability to escape their past or each other, while the snowstorm that traps them literalizes their emotional entrapment.

Feeney employs recurring visual motifs, particularly images related to sight and blindness. Amelia's prosopagnosia makes literal the metaphorical blindness that affects all the characters—their inability to see truth, to recognize danger, or to perceive their loved ones accurately. References to masks, mirrors, and photographs throughout the text emphasize the gap between appearance and reality. The author uses these images to question what it means to truly "see" and know another person.

Weather serves as pathetic fallacy throughout the novel, with the Scottish landscape's harshness reflecting the characters' emotional states. The progressive snowstorm that isolates the chapel mirrors the escalating danger and the accumulation of revealed secrets. Cold, darkness, and winter imagery pervade the text, creating an atmosphere of death and dormancy that suggests relationships and truths frozen in time, waiting to thaw with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Foreshadowing and Red Herrings

Feeney demonstrates masterful control of information, planting clues throughout the narrative that reward attentive readers upon reread while maintaining genuine surprises. The author employs both honest foreshadowing—hints that point toward actual revelations—and red herrings that mislead readers toward false conclusions. This balance keeps the mystery engaging without feeling either predictable or unfairly obscure.

Early mentions of Amelia's sister, presented as casual backstory, plant seeds for major revelations later in the novel. Similarly, Robin's presence in flashbacks seems benign initially but takes on sinister significance as the full scope of her involvement becomes clear. Feeney carefully calibrates how much information to provide in these early references, giving enough detail to establish credibility while withholding the context that would reveal their true importance.

The author uses the unreliable narrators to embed misleading information naturally. Because readers understand that Adam and Amelia's perspectives are subjective and incomplete, they accept contradictions and gaps as character flaws rather than authorial errors. This narrative strategy allows Feeney to hide crucial information in plain sight, presenting facts whose significance only becomes clear once additional context emerges.

Title drops and recurring phrases function as foreshadowing devices, gaining new meaning as the story progresses. References to games, winning and losing, and the specific mechanics of rock, paper, scissors accumulate significance. The author also employs dramatic irony, allowing readers to recognize danger or deception before characters do, creating suspense through the gap between reader knowledge and character awareness.

Psychological Realism and Mental Health

Feeney approaches psychological complexity with nuance, avoiding simplistic portrayals of mental illness while acknowledging its profound impact on behavior and relationships. The novel explores anxiety, depression, trauma responses, and how mental health struggles can be both cause and effect in dysfunctional relationships. The author neither stigmatizes mental illness nor uses it as a simple explanation for destructive behavior.

Amelia's anxiety and panic attacks are portrayed with visceral accuracy, showing how these conditions affect daily functioning and decision-making. Feeney illustrates the exhausting hypervigilance that accompanies anxiety disorders, the constant scanning for threats, and the way past trauma creates disproportionate responses to present situations. The author also shows how Amelia's coping mechanisms—her routines, her writing, her attempts to control her environment—are both adaptive and limiting.

The novel addresses how untreated trauma perpetuates across time, affecting not just the traumatized individual but their relationships and life choices. The childhood experiences that shaped Amelia continue to influence her adult life in ways she doesn't fully recognize. Feeney demonstrates how trauma survivors may unconsciously recreate familiar dynamics or sabotage happiness because contentment feels unfamiliar and therefore threatening.

The portrayal of obsessive behavior through Robin's character examines how mental health issues can manifest as danger to others, not just the sufferer. Feeney avoids demonizing mental illness while honestly depicting how unchecked obsession combined with lack of insight creates genuine threat. The author suggests that Robin's actions stem from a combination of psychological factors, life circumstances, and choices, avoiding reductive explanations while maintaining Robin's agency and responsibility.

Narrative Structure and Point of View

Alice Feeney employs a sophisticated multi-layered narrative structure in "Rock Paper Scissors" that serves as both the novel's greatest strength and its most demanding aspect for readers. The story unfolds through three distinct perspectives: Adam's first-person present-tense narration, Amelia's first-person present-tense account, and a mysterious third perspective revealed only as "her" until the novel's climactic revelation. This tripartite structure creates a kaleidoscopic effect, where each narrator's reliability becomes increasingly questionable as the story progresses.

The alternating chapters between Adam and Amelia initially appear to offer complementary viewpoints of a marriage in crisis, but Feeney masterfully uses this structure to highlight the vast chasm between perception and reality. Each spouse's version of events contradicts the other in subtle and significant ways, forcing readers to actively engage in detective work rather than passively consume the narrative. The technique recalls Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl," yet Feeney distinguishes her approach by introducing the third perspective, which ultimately recontextualizes everything that came before.

The present-tense narration creates immediate urgency and claustrophobia, particularly effective given the isolated Scottish chapel setting. This temporal choice eliminates the safety of retrospection—readers experience events as they unfold, without the comfort of knowing the narrators survived to tell their tales. The pacing fluctuates deliberately, with intense chapters of revelation alternating with slower, more introspective passages that explore the marriage's archaeology. Some critics argue this rhythmic variation occasionally disrupts momentum, particularly in the middle section where backstory threatens to overwhelm present action.

Feeney's use of the epistolary element—incorporating letters, anniversary cards, and the screenplay fragments—adds another dimension to the narrative architecture. These textual artifacts function as both clues and misdirection, embodying the novel's central theme that all stories are subject to interpretation and manipulation. The screenplay excerpts, ostensibly Adam's work, blur the boundaries between his professional fiction and personal reality, suggesting that both spouses have been performing roles rather than living authentically.

Character Development and Psychological Depth

The characterization in "Rock Paper Scissors" represents Feeney's most ambitious psychological portrait to date. Adam Wright emerges as a deeply unreliable narrator whose face blindness (prosopagnosia) serves as both a medical condition and a metaphorical representation of his inability to truly "see" the people in his life, particularly his wife. His disability functions on multiple levels within the narrative—it's simultaneously a genuine neurological condition that generates reader sympathy, a plot mechanism that enables crucial misidentifications, and a symbol for emotional blindness.

Feeney resists the temptation to make Adam simply sympathetic or villainous. His vulnerability regarding his condition, his genuine love for his dog Bob, and his apparent devotion to his craft as a screenwriter create complexity. However, his controlling behaviors, selective memory, and the gradual revelation of his manipulation tactics complicate any straightforward reading of his character. The author skillfully plants seeds of doubt about Adam's version of events through small inconsistencies and his tendency to rationalize behaviors that others might find troubling.

Amelia proves equally complex and arguably more enigmatic. Feeney crafts her as a woman who has systematically erased herself within her marriage, yet the novel questions whether this erasure was imposed upon her or partially self-constructed. Her backstory—including her difficult relationship with her mother, her miscarriages, and her career sacrifices—builds a portrait of accumulated grief and resentment. The revelation of her own secrets and machinations transforms her from apparent victim to something far more ambiguous.

The tertiary characters, while less developed, serve crucial thematic functions. Bob, the dog, operates as more than comic relief or sympathy generator; he becomes a barometer of authenticity in a narrative filled with performance and deception. The largely absent but omnipresent mother figures—both Adam's deceased mother and Amelia's controlling one—haunt the narrative, suggesting how parental relationships shape the marriage's dysfunction. Robin, Adam's agent, appears briefly but significantly, representing the external world that observes the marriage's facade without perceiving its rotting foundation.

Themes and Symbolism

The title "Rock Paper Scissors" operates as the novel's central organizing metaphor, extending far beyond the game the couple plays annually. Feeney employs this children's game as a framework for examining power dynamics, cyclical patterns, and the arbitrary nature of victory and defeat in relationships. Rock crushes scissors, scissors cut paper, paper covers rock—each element both powerful and vulnerable, dominant and submissive depending on context. This perfectly encapsulates the marriage between Adam and Amelia, where power constantly shifts and neither party can claim absolute control.

The game also represents the couple's inability to communicate directly, relying instead on chance and ritual to make decisions that should emerge from honest conversation. Throughout the novel, Feeney returns to this motif, showing how the game infiltrates major life choices, from where to live to whether to have children. The tragedy embedded in this pattern is that both characters believe they're playing fair when both are actually cheating in different ways, much like their marriage itself.

The Scottish chapel setting functions as Gothic symbolism at its finest—isolated, crumbling, filled with history and ghosts both literal and metaphorical. Blackwater Chapel represents the marriage itself: outwardly romantic and full of potential, but fundamentally unstable, cold, and possibly haunted by past traumas. The deteriorating structure, the unreliable electricity, and the encroaching natural landscape mirror the couple's relationship deterioration. Feeney employs pathetic fallacy effectively here, with the harsh Scottish weather and landscape reflecting emotional storms.

Blindness and sight operate as recurring motifs beyond Adam's prosopagnosia. Characters repeatedly fail to see what's directly before them, while simultaneously claiming insight into hidden truths. Amelia's work as a translator involves "seeing" meaning across languages, yet she cannot translate her husband's behaviors accurately. Adam's screenwriting requires visual imagination, yet he cannot visualize his wife's authentic self. The novel questions whether anyone truly "sees" another person or merely projects their needs and fears onto them.

Memory and narrative emerge as perhaps the novel's deepest thematic concern. Feeney demonstrates how each character curates their personal history, selecting details that support their preferred self-image while suppressing contradictory evidence. The anniversary cards and letters become competing archives, each spouse preserving different moments as significant. The novel suggests that memory itself is a form of fiction-writing, and that marriage is partly a negotiation over which version of shared history becomes canonical.

Twist Execution and Plot Mechanics

Feeney has built her reputation on delivering shocking twists, and "Rock Paper Scissors" contains several significant revelations that recontextualize earlier events. The execution of these twists demonstrates both considerable skill and some limitations of the twist-dependent thriller genre. The primary revelation—the identity of the third narrator and her connection to both Adam and Amelia—is foreshadowed with admirable subtlety. Feeney plants clues throughout that reward attentive readers upon reread without making the twist easily predictable on first encounter.

The twist regarding Amelia's pregnancy and its implications represents the novel's emotional core, transforming from a story about whether one spouse will murder the other into something more psychologically nuanced. This revelation reframes Amelia's behaviors throughout the weekend, adding layers of desperation and calculation to scenes that initially appeared differently motivated. Feeney handles this particular twist with sensitivity, avoiding exploitation while maintaining suspense.

However, the novel's commitment to multiple revelations occasionally strains credibility. The accumulation of secrets, coincidences, and withheld information sometimes feels mechanical rather than organic. Critics have noted that the final act requires considerable suspension of disbelief regarding timing, character knowledge, and the logistics of certain actions. The question becomes whether the emotional and thematic payoff justifies these narrative contortions—a question readers will answer differently based on their genre expectations and tolerance for theatrical plotting.

The epilogue has proven divisive among readers and critics. Some appreciate the closure and the final twist it delivers, finding it a satisfying conclusion to the novel's exploration of performance, identity, and reinvention. Others argue it undermines the ambiguity that makes the rest of the novel compelling, providing too neat a resolution to deliberately messy psychological dynamics. This tension reflects broader debates within domestic thriller fiction about whether such novels should prioritize puzzle-box plotting or psychological realism.

Writing Style and Technical Craft

Feeney's prose style in "Rock Paper Scissors" represents a refinement of techniques established in her previous novels. Her writing remains accessible and propulsive, prioritizing clarity and pace over lyrical elaboration. Sentences tend toward the short and declarative, creating a staccato rhythm that enhances tension and readability. This stylistic choice serves the thriller genre effectively, though it occasionally sacrifices opportunities for deeper atmospheric or psychological exploration that longer, more complex sentences might provide.

The author demonstrates particular skill with the chapter-ending hook, consistently concluding sections with revelations, questions, or ominous implications that propel readers forward. These cliffhangers vary in subtlety—some are dramatic statements that demand immediate continuation, while others plant quieter seeds of unease. The technique occasionally becomes predictable, with readers anticipating the twist at each chapter's end, but Feeney varies the approach sufficiently to maintain effectiveness.

Dialogue represents both a strength and occasional weakness in the novel. At its best, Feeney captures the particular passive-aggression and coded communication of long-married couples, where simple statements carry freight from years of accumulated grievance. The conversations between Adam and Amelia crackle with subtext, each seeming to discuss one topic while actually negotiating entirely different terrain. However, some exchanges feel constructed primarily to deliver information to readers rather than emerging naturally from character, particularly in exposition-heavy sections.

Feeney's use of the screenplay format within the novel demonstrates technical ambition, though the execution has mixed results. These sections effectively blur boundaries between Adam's professional and personal narratives, suggesting his inability to distinguish life from fiction. The screenplay fragments also allow Feeney to present alternative versions of events and foreshadow outcomes. However, the device sometimes feels gimmicky, interrupting narrative flow without always providing commensurate thematic depth. The format works best when it most directly parallels or ironically contrasts with the "real" events of the novel.

Genre Conventions and Innovation

Alice Feeney operates firmly within the domestic thriller/psychological suspense genre that has flourished since "Gone Girl" established many contemporary conventions. "Rock Paper Scissors" both honors and subverts these genre expectations in interesting ways. The isolated setting, the troubled marriage, the unreliable narrators, and the dark secrets all fulfill reader expectations established by the genre's recent success. Feeney understands what readers come to such novels seeking and delivers those pleasures competently.

Where the novel attempts innovation is in its particular combination of elements and its thematic depth. The use of prosopagnosia as both plot device and metaphor distinguishes this from similar marital thrillers. The condition hasn't been extensively explored in popular fiction, giving Feeney fresh material for generating suspense and symbolism. The three-narrator structure, while not unprecedented, is handled with sufficient skill to feel distinctive rather than derivative.

The novel's exploration of childlessness—both voluntary and involuntary—within marriage adds thematic weight often absent from more purely plot-driven thrillers. Feeney treats the subject with nuance, examining how the absence of children affects marital dynamics, individual identity, and social relationships. This thematic concern elevates the novel beyond simple suspense into more substantive psychological territory, though some readers seeking pure entertainment may find these sections slow the thriller pacing.

However, the novel's adherence to certain genre formulas also limits its achievement. The requirement for multiple twists and revelations sometimes undermines psychological realism. Characters withhold information in ways that serve plot mechanics more than authentic human behavior. The novel's intelligence operates primarily in service of puzzle-construction rather than deep psychological or social insight. These aren't failures so much as genre constraints—readers must decide whether they value innovation within formula or transcendence of it.

Comparative Analysis

Positioning "Rock Paper Scissors" within Alice Feeney's oeuvre reveals both artistic consistency and evolution. The novel shares DNA with her previous work—particularly "Sometimes I Lie" and "His & Hers"—in its use of multiple perspectives, unreliable narration, and shocking revelations. However, "Rock Paper Scissors" demonstrates greater confidence in pacing and more ambitious characterization than her earlier novels. The marriage at the center receives more thorough psychological excavation than relationships in previous books, suggesting Feeney's growing interest in character over pure plot mechanics.

Compared to genre touchstones like Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl," Feeney's novel operates at a smaller scale with more modest ambitions. Flynn's work offers broader social satire and darker psychological depths, while Feeney focuses more narrowly on the marriage itself with less commentary on larger cultural dynamics. However, Feeney's plotting arguably shows more compassion for her characters, even as she exposes their worst behaviors. Where Flynn seems to regard her characters with cool detachment or even contempt, Feeney maintains sympathy for the damaged people she creates.

The novel bears comparison to Ruth Ware's isolated-location thrillers like "The Woman in Cabin 10" and "One by One." Both authors excel at creating claustrophobic atmospheres where characters' options narrow as danger intensifies. Feeney perhaps exceeds Ware in psychological complexity while Ware might claim superior atmospheric writing. Both authors face similar critical questions about prioritizing plot surprises over character consistency.

Within the broader landscape of contemporary psychological thrillers, "Rock Paper Scissors" represents a solid mid-tier achievement—more sophisticated than formulaic airport thrillers but less literary than genre-transcendent works like Sarah Waters' "The Little Stranger" or Emma Cline's "The Guest." Feeney has carved out a distinctive niche through her particular combination of clever plotting, accessible prose, and psychological insight. The novel confirms her position as a reliable deliverer of the genre pleasures readers seek while suggesting potential for even greater achievement should she choose to take more risks with form or theme.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The novel's primary strength lies in its intricate plotting and the carefully calibrated release of information. Feeney demonstrates masterful control over what readers know and when they know it, maintaining suspense across three hundred pages while ensuring the revelations feel earned rather than arbitrary. The plotting rewards close reading and rereading, with details that seem incidental on first encounter revealing significance once the full picture emerges. This construction represents genuine craft that shouldn't be dismissed simply because it serves commercial genre fiction.

The psychological complexity of the central marriage represents another significant achievement. Feeney avoids simple victim/villain dynamics, instead creating two damaged people who have constructed a mutually destructive relationship over years. The novel captures authentic elements of long-term relationship dysfunction—the accumulated resentments, the weaponized vulnerabilities, the gap between public performance and private reality. Readers in long-term relationships may find uncomfortable recognition in the marriage's dynamics, even as the specific circumstances remain heightened and dramatic.

The novel's weaknesses emerge primarily from its genre constraints and commercial imperatives. The requirement for multiple twists sometimes undermines psychological realism, with characters behaving in ways that serve plot surprise rather than human authenticity. The accumulation of secrets and revelations occasionally strains credibility—how much deception and coincidence can a single marriage contain before collapsing under its own weight? Some readers will embrace these elements as genre pleasures, while others will find them obstacles to full immersion.

The prose, while effective for maintaining pace and clarity, rarely transcends functional efficiency. Feeney seldom pauses for the kind of lyrical description or psychological excavation that might slow the plot but deepen the emotional or intellectual experience. This represents a deliberate choice appropriate to genre expectations rather than a failure of ability, but it does limit the novel's literary achievement. Beautiful sentences and propulsive plotting aren't mutually exclusive, as demonstrated by authors like Tana French, though balancing both remains extremely difficult.

The characterization beyond Adam and Amelia remains relatively thin. Secondary characters serve primarily functional roles, lacking the dimensionality of the protagonists. This narrow focus intensifies the claustrophobic examination of the marriage but prevents the novel from achieving broader social resonance. The world beyond the central relationship feels sketched rather than fully realized, which may disappoint readers seeking richer contextual detail or more extensive character networks.

Story Fundamentals

What is Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney about?

Rock Paper Scissors is a psychological thriller about Adam and Amelia Wright, a married couple whose relationship has deteriorated over ten years together. They win a weekend getaway to a remote Scottish chapel in the Highlands, hoping the trip will help repair their fractured marriage. However, the isolated location becomes the setting for dark secrets to surface. The novel alternates between Adam's and Amelia's perspectives, along with mysterious letters addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Wright," revealing layers of deception, manipulation, and hidden agendas. What begins as a marriage-saving retreat quickly transforms into a suspenseful exploration of truth, lies, and the question of whether either spouse will leave the chapel alive. The story features Feeney's signature plot twists that completely reframe everything readers thought they understood about the characters and their motivations.

Is Rock Paper Scissors based on a true story?

No, Rock Paper Scissors is entirely a work of fiction created by Alice Feeney. While the psychological dynamics of a troubled marriage may feel authentic and relatable to many readers, the specific events and characters are products of Feeney's imagination. The author does draw upon universal human experiences—marital tension, secrets between partners, and the complexity of long-term relationships—which contributes to the story's realistic emotional core. The Scottish Highlands setting is real, and Feeney's detailed descriptions of the isolated chapel create a believable atmosphere. However, the intricate plot twists, the specific characters of Adam and Amelia Wright, and the thriller elements are fictional constructs designed to entertain and surprise readers. Feeney has built her career on crafting ingenious psychological thrillers with unexpected revelations rather than documenting true events.

How does the narrative structure work in Rock Paper Scissors?

Rock Paper Scissors employs a multi-perspective narrative structure that alternates primarily between Adam and Amelia's first-person viewpoints. This dual perspective allows readers to see the same events and relationship from two very different angles, creating dramatic irony and highlighting how unreliable each narrator might be. Interspersed throughout are mysterious letters addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Wright" that provide additional context and foreshadowing. The timeline moves between the present weekend at the chapel and flashbacks that illuminate the couple's history together. This structure is crucial to Feeney's storytelling because it gradually reveals information that recontextualizes earlier scenes. The alternating viewpoints keep readers guessing about which character, if either, is telling the truth. This narrative technique builds suspense while exploring how two people can experience the same marriage in fundamentally different ways.

What genre is Rock Paper Scissors?

Rock Paper Scissors is primarily a psychological thriller with strong elements of domestic suspense and mystery. The novel focuses on the psychological warfare between spouses rather than physical action, making it distinctly psychological in nature. It contains the hallmark features of the thriller genre: tension, suspense, unexpected plot twists, and questions about characters' true motivations and survival. The domestic suspense element comes from the troubled marriage at the story's center and the claustrophobic setting that traps the couple together. There are also mystery components as readers try to uncover what really happened in Adam and Amelia's past and who is manipulating whom in the present. While some might categorize it broadly as crime fiction due to certain revelations, the book is most accurately described as a psychological thriller that examines the darker aspects of intimate relationships and human psychology.

Where and when does Rock Paper Scissors take place?

The primary action of Rock Paper Scissors takes place over one weekend at an isolated, converted chapel in the Scottish Highlands. This remote location, surrounded by wilderness and cut off from easy contact with civilization, creates the perfect pressure-cooker environment for the story's tension. The chapel itself is atmospheric and somewhat eerie, with its religious history adding another layer of symbolism to the narrative. The contemporary setting places the story in modern times, with references to current technology and contemporary life in London, where Adam and Amelia normally reside. Through flashbacks, the novel also revisits various moments throughout the couple's ten-year relationship, including scenes from their courtship and marriage in London. The contrast between their normal urban environment and the stark isolation of the Scottish retreat emphasizes how removed they are from their comfort zones and potential help.

How long is Rock Paper Scissors and how is it paced?

Rock Paper Scissors is approximately 320 pages in most editions, making it a relatively quick read for a thriller. The pacing is deliberately constructed to build tension progressively throughout the narrative. The first section establishes the troubled marriage and the journey to Scotland at a measured pace, allowing readers to form impressions of both Adam and Amelia. As the couple settles into the chapel, the pacing accelerates with increasing revelations and psychological tension. Feeney expertly uses short chapters and cliffhangers to propel readers forward, making the book difficult to put down. The alternating perspectives between Adam and Amelia create natural momentum as readers switch viewpoints. The final third of the book features rapid-fire revelations and plot twists that dramatically increase the pace. Overall, the structure supports a mounting sense of urgency that culminates in a shocking conclusion.

Character Psychology

Who is Adam Wright and what are his characteristics?

Adam Wright is a screenwriter who has struggled professionally for years without achieving significant success. He suffers from prosopagnosia, or face blindness, a neurological condition that prevents him from recognizing faces, including his own wife's. This disability profoundly affects how he navigates the world and his relationships. Adam is portrayed as somewhat passive and introspective, often lost in his own thoughts and screenwriting projects. He genuinely seems to love Amelia, though he acknowledges their marriage has deteriorated. His face blindness makes him particularly vulnerable and dependent on recognizing people through other cues like voice, gait, or context. Throughout the novel, Adam's reliability as a narrator comes into question as readers learn more about his past and the gaps in his memory. His character embodies themes of perception versus reality and the question of how well we can truly know another person.

Who is Amelia Wright and what motivates her?

Amelia Wright is a high-achieving woman who works in the film industry and appears outwardly successful and composed. She is meticulous, organized, and often frustrated by Adam's lack of professional success and what she perceives as his passivity. Amelia harbors deep resentments about sacrifices she feels she's made in their marriage and secrets she's kept hidden. Her character is complex and carefully constructed to challenge readers' assumptions. She demonstrates both vulnerability and calculation, making her difficult to categorize simply as victim or villain. Amelia's motivations are gradually revealed throughout the novel, showing someone who feels trapped by circumstances and willing to take dramatic action to change her situation. Her perspective reveals a woman who has been planning and manipulating events, though the full extent and purpose of her schemes only become clear through the story's twists. She represents themes of female agency and the masks people wear in marriages.

How does Adam's face blindness affect the story?

Adam's prosopagnosia, or face blindness, is central to both the plot mechanics and thematic depth of Rock Paper Scissors. On a practical level, this condition creates vulnerability and uncertainty—Adam must rely on other sensory cues to identify people, which opens possibilities for deception and mistaken identity. His disability also serves as a metaphor for the broader inability to truly "see" or know another person, even someone as close as a spouse. The condition affects Adam's self-confidence and his career, as he struggles in an industry where networking and recognizing people are important. It has also shaped his relationship with Amelia, creating unique dependencies and challenges. As the plot unfolds, the face blindness becomes crucial to understanding certain revelations and twists. Feeney uses this neurological condition to explore themes of perception, identity, and trust, asking readers to consider what it means to recognize someone beyond their physical appearance.

Are Adam and Amelia unreliable narrators?

Yes, both Adam and Amelia prove to be unreliable narrators in different ways, which is essential to the novel's impact. Adam's unreliability stems partly from his face blindness and possible gaps in his memory or understanding of events. He may genuinely not know certain truths or may be withholding information from readers. Amelia's unreliability is more calculated; she deliberately conceals information, plans deceptions, and presents a version of events that serves her purposes. As the story progresses, readers discover that both characters have hidden crucial information about their past, their motivations, and their actions during the weekend at the chapel. This dual unreliability keeps readers constantly questioning what is true and whom to trust. The technique reflects the novel's themes about the stories we tell ourselves and others, and how perspective shapes reality. The unreliable narration is fundamental to delivering the book's shocking plot twists.

What is the significance of the mysterious letter writer?

The mysterious letters addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Wright" that appear throughout the novel serve multiple narrative functions. These letters provide an outside perspective on the couple's relationship and hint at information neither Adam nor Amelia initially shares with readers. They create additional suspense by suggesting a third party is involved or observing the couple's situation. The letters also foreshadow revelations and add layers of ambiguity about who knows what and when. As the story unfolds, the identity of the letter writer becomes a crucial mystery that connects to the novel's central twists. These communications represent the voice of truth or hidden knowledge that contradicts what the main characters claim. They also create a sense of being watched or manipulated by unseen forces. The resolution of who wrote the letters and why reframes the entire narrative and demonstrates Feeney's skill at misdirection and layered plotting.

Themes & Analysis

What are the main themes in Rock Paper Scissors?

Rock Paper Scissors explores several interconnected themes. The nature of truth and perspective is central, as the dual narrators present conflicting versions of reality. The novel examines how well we can truly know another person, even in the intimacy of marriage, and questions whether complete honesty is possible or even desirable in relationships. Deception and manipulation—both of others and oneself—run throughout the story. The theme of identity appears through Adam's face blindness and both characters' questions about who they've become. Revenge and justice emerge as motivations driving certain actions. The book also explores the masks people wear, particularly in marriages, and the gap between public personas and private realities. Memory and its unreliability play important roles, as does the question of free will versus fate. Finally, Feeney examines the psychology of long-term relationships, including resentment, sacrifice, and the accumulation of small betrayals that can poison love over time.

What does the title Rock Paper Scissors symbolize?

The title Rock Paper Scissors carries multiple symbolic meanings throughout the novel. Most directly, the game represents the power dynamics in Adam and Amelia's marriage—the constant shifting of who has the upper hand, who wins, and who loses. Like the game where each option can both win and lose depending on what it faces, the characters' power balance continually shifts. The game also symbolizes chance versus strategy; while it appears random, skilled players can predict and manipulate outcomes, mirroring how the characters attempt to control their situation. Additionally, the title reflects the three-way dynamic suggested by various relationships in the book. The cyclical nature of the game—where no single option is always superior—mirrors the repetitive patterns in the couple's troubled relationship. There's also a childlike quality to the game that contrasts ironically with the adult, deadly serious psychological warfare occurring. Feeney uses this seemingly simple game as a framework for exploring complex relationship dynamics and the illusion of choice.

How does the isolated setting function in the novel?

The isolated Scottish chapel serves multiple crucial functions in Rock Paper Scissors. Physically, it removes Adam and Amelia from their normal environment and support systems, creating a pressure-cooker atmosphere where tensions intensify and secrets cannot be avoided. The remote location eliminates escape routes and external interventions, raising the stakes of their confrontation. Symbolically, the chapel represents a kind of purgatory or judgment space where truths must be confronted—its religious associations add weight to themes of confession, sin, and reckoning. The harsh, beautiful Scottish landscape mirrors the characters' emotional terrain: cold, dangerous, and unforgiving yet compelling. The isolation also serves the plot by limiting the cast of characters and creating ambiguity about what's real; in this removed setting, strange events feel more possible. The setting's claustrophobia amplifies paranoia and forces intimacy between the couple, stripping away the distractions that might normally help them avoid difficult truths about their marriage.

What does Rock Paper Scissors say about modern marriage?

Rock Paper Scissors offers a dark exploration of contemporary marriage, examining how relationships can deteriorate when built on secrets and unspoken resentments. The novel suggests that even long-term couples may be strangers to each other, hiding their true selves behind carefully constructed personas. Feeney explores the sacrifices and compromises marriage requires, and how these can breed resentment when partners feel their contributions are unequal or unappreciated. The book examines how economic pressures, career disappointments, and unfulfilled expectations can poison intimacy. It also investigates the stories couples tell themselves about their relationships versus reality, and how selective memory shapes marital narratives. The novel asks whether complete honesty is possible or desirable between spouses, and what happens when the foundation of trust cracks. Through Adam and Amelia's relationship, Feeney presents marriage as a complex psychological contract where power dynamics shift, where love and manipulation can coexist, and where the question "how well do you really know your partner?" has potentially terrifying answers.

How does the book explore perception versus reality?

Perception versus reality is perhaps the most fundamental theme in Rock Paper Scissors, woven into nearly every aspect of the narrative. Adam's face blindness provides the most literal exploration—he cannot perceive faces as others do, creating a gap between his reality and others' experiences. The dual narration constantly highlights how Adam and Amelia perceive the same events completely differently, suggesting that objective reality may be less important than individual perspective. The unreliable narration forces readers to question everything they think they know, demonstrating how easily perception can be manipulated. Feeney shows how assumptions, biases, and incomplete information shape what we believe to be true. The novel's twists typically involve revelations that what seemed real was actually misperception or deliberate deception. The book suggests that in relationships, perception often matters more than objective truth because people act based on what they believe, not necessarily what is. This theme extends to self-perception, as both characters hold distorted views of themselves and their motivations.

Critical Interpretation

What are the major plot twists in Rock Paper Scissors?

Rock Paper Scissors contains several significant plot twists that reframe the entire narrative, though discussing them risks spoiling the reading experience. The novel's structure builds toward revelations about the true nature of Adam and Amelia's relationship, hidden aspects of their past, and the real purpose behind the weekend at the chapel. Key twists involve the identity of certain characters, revelations about who has been manipulating events and why, and surprises about what actually happened during crucial moments in the couple's history. The author also subverts reader expectations about which character is the victim and which is the villain. One of the most effective aspects of Feeney's plotting is that the twists don't feel arbitrary; upon reflection, readers can trace how clues were planted throughout. The revelations force readers to reconsider everything they thought they understood about the characters' motivations and the nature of their marriage. These twists are characteristic of Feeney's style and are central to the novel's impact.

How does Rock Paper Scissors compare to other Alice Feeney books?

Rock Paper Scissors shares Alice Feeney's signature style found in her other works like "Sometimes I Lie" and "His & Hers," including unreliable narrators, intricate plot twists, and psychological suspense. Like her other novels, it features a domestic or intimate setting where relationships are not what they seem. The use of multiple perspectives and timelines is consistent with Feeney's narrative approach. However, Rock Paper Scissors distinguishes itself through its focus on a marriage as the central relationship and the unique element of Adam's face blindness, which adds a disability representation angle not prominent in her other work. The isolated setting is more extreme than in some of her other books, creating a different kind of claustrophobic tension. Some readers find this novel's pacing and twist structure even more tightly constructed than her previous work. The exploration of long-term relationship decay is particularly nuanced here. Overall, it demonstrates Feeney's evolution as