Misogyny takes a terrifying turn in Peter Swanson’s Every Vow You Break

Peter Swanson’s newest novel, Every Vow You Break, is a far cry from his previous thriller release, Eight Perfect Murders. While the newer book doesn’t have quite so many riddles to solve or literary references to indulge in, it does tackle a much more pressing societal issue: the terrifying — and sometimes deadly — turns misogyny can take.

Swanson’s latest follows Abigail Baskin, whose problems start on her bachelorette weekend. It’s bad enough that she winds up having a drunken, one-night stand with a man she meets while she’s in California, but things take a turn for the worst when he turns up where she lives right before her wedding.

And even as Abigail embarks on her honeymoon to a private, isolated island, she can’t seem to put enough distance between herself and her new stalker. To make matters worse, the oddity after oddity on the island itself leads Abigail to question where her new husband has taken her to celebrate their marriage — and whether she really knows the man she just married at all.

Every Vow You Break takes the typical domestic thriller and puts a new spin on it — one that’s darker and more twisted than readers will suspect. However, that will just increase your desire to figure out what’s really going on on this island — and to determine who, if anyone, Abigail can trust.

How Every Vow You Break sets itself apart from other thrillers

Plenty of thriller novels cover the aftermath of an affair, but few of them truly do the work necessary to dig into the deeper topics that come into play alongside of that. In particular, misogyny plays a huge role in Abigail’s affair itself and the consequences of it — and although Swanson’s novel doesn’t necessarily stick the landing every time it addresses the subject, it’s a huge improvement from the many books that glaze right over it.

Through Abigail’s story, Swanson unpacks how casual sexism can evolve into something much more sinister. He takes entitlement to an extreme, questioning what kind of controlling behavior might lead to an affair in the first place — and where else that could go if given the chance.

Of course, the premise of the island itself adds a unique aspect to Every Vow You Break, and although readers may predict where this story is headed about halfway through, that doesn’t make it any less surprising. If there’s one thing to be said about this story, it’s that it takes common thriller tropes and combines them in a way that sets it apart from the rest. That in itself is no easy feat, but Swanson manages it impressively.

If you’re a fan of suspenseful storytelling, Every Vow You Break is a novel you’ll want to keep on your radar. It’s sure to keep you on edge — either because of the mystery, the real-world implications or both.

Every Vow You Break is currently available in print, ebook and audiobook formats.