The Real Michael Swann

This was one of the first books from the Teatime Bookshop subscription service I got as a present recently. 

From author Bryon Reardon, The Real Michael Swann tells of a terror attack in Pennsylvania, resulting in the titular man seemingly crawling out of the rubble, concussed with no memory, trying to find his way back to anyone who might recognise him. Meanwhile, Swann’s family race across town in an attempt to find him while the authorities investigate both the missing persons and the attack itself. 

There are plenty of twists along the way to keep the narrative flying, but a big one is predictable and the dialogue and exposition are so frustratingly clumsy that you can’t help question the decisions. Why wouldn’t the wife try a video call to get in touch with Michael? Who leaves the engine running when they’re alone in an unfamiliar location? 

The memory loss angle of the book needed a lot more research. Reardon clearly doesn’t understand the nature of memory, and the Swann character manages to remember things that a concussed person wouldn’t. They wouldn’t even physically get as far from the blast zone as was managed without authorities or medical staff stepping in. 

A barrage of that-wouldn’t-happen and occasionally predictable moments culminates in a largely underwhelming and unsatisfactory final twist. All of this is more surprising when you consider that Reardon himself holds a degree in psychology.