Vantage Point by Sara Sligar (2025)
This book pushed all the right buttons for me. If there's a powerful, wealthy family dynasty afflicted by accursed tragedies, you had me at 'accursed tragedies'. If they live on a fabulously massive estate that sits on a Maine island that they rule like a royal family,.....oh yes, sign me up. Throw in troubled family members with the constant threat of the legendary curse that hovers over them, then I'm rubbing my hands in gleeful anticipation.
And 'Vantage Point' gets right to the point. Kennedy-esque Teddy Wieland is running for the U.S. Senate. By his side, his wife Jess, a lifelong friend of his emotionally tormented sister Clara. Clara's lived with agonizing guilt over the accidental death of her and Teddy's parents and she's spent her young lifetime in and out of eating disorder clinics. Unlike the Wielands, Jess came from a lower middle class upbringing and now she finds herself uncomfortable in her role as political helpmate to Teddy - she fears the press and public see her as an undeserving Grand Prize lottery winner of membership in a golden family.
The Wieland curse then goes into overdrive. Teddy's campaign is upended and sabotaged by release of embarrassing videos that seem to reveal Clara and himself as depraved, entitled wastrels.......images that'll no doubt repulse potential voters. His campaign manager/spin doctor wastes no time labeling the videos as deepfakes......and an increasingly unhinged Clara can't convince Teddy or Jess that these deepfakes tie into disturbing real sights now afflicting her, including appearances of her dead mother and father.
Author Sara Sigar brings in some sharp wit and well written insights into the family dynamics (and some dreaded secrets) of Teddy, Clara and Jess. And I thoroughly enjoyed how the book manages to make the very latest hi-tech factor into the story's creepy Gothic atmosphere.......as if it feels like 'Rebecca' with state-of-the-art CGI. (And the insert histories of previous Wieland family deaths are dark humored gems....)
A great overstuffed package of dynasty melodrama, political posturing and a properly traumatic finale. 5 stars (*****)
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