A blistering depiction of the abuse of power

In her new psychological thriller Two Wrongs, Mel McGrath explores the destructive outcomes of toxic relationships between corrupt academics and teenagers who depend on their favour for success in life. The story is built around a group of female students who admire and trust those who hold an unimaginable amount of power over them. These young women are too naive to understand that their highly-rated university values the institution’s academic reputation more highly than the mental health of its students.

Nevis, a brilliant but socially awkward student, is in line for a first-class degree. When her best friend Satnam attempts suicide and ends up in a coma, Nevis believes she could have prevented this tragedy if she had understood the last words Satnam said to her and asked more questions. Aware that she finds it hard to analyse emotions, Nevis uses her mathematical brain to weigh up clues as if she were working out an equation. After innocently putting herself and others in appalling danger, she reaches a devastating conclusion.

The plot of Two Wrongs is enthralling, twisty and employs multiple narrators. At no point was I able to predict what was going to happen next, and the eventual dramatic unravelling came as a complete surprise. McGrath’s depiction of relationships, especially between Nevis and her adoptive mother Honour, is much more sensitive than in the average psychological thriller. The characters continue to develop throughout the book, while we follow Nevis on her journey.

I liked the way Two Wrongs features students of STEM subjects, and although the universities mentioned are given false names, they are obviously not Oxford or Cambridge. It sometimes seems to me that every other novel I read is about Arts graduates from Oxbridge, perhaps because so many of them write books. Also, I enjoyed learning about the barge dwelling community and their network, which can provide members with a berth, a job and friendship anywhere there is a canal.

Two Wrongs is a great read to be enjoyed on many levels: thriller, family saga, social comment. Highly recommended.

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