The Wrong Daughter

The Wrong Daughter is a work of fiction in the psychological thriller genre that examines the long-term impact of child abduction on families. Abduction is frequently explored in true-crime TV series and films as well as in nonfiction works like the 2011 memoir of Jaycee Dugard, A Stolen Life. Abducted and held captive for 18 years, Dugard describes the difficulty of family reunification. The Wrong Daughter mirrors this dynamic through the Arden family’s stilted and strange reunion with the woman claiming to be Olivia.

The psychological thriller genre often features unreliable narrators, fractured timelines, and shocking revelations about events or identities that mirror a protagonist’s internal turmoil. For instance, Then She Was Gone (2017) by Lisa Jewell examines the long-term effects of a daughter’s abduction on a mother, who (through several strange coincidences that challenge her sense of trust in her own perceptions) eventually discovers what happened to her daughter. Another example of the genre is Emma Donoghue’s 2010 novel Room, which examines trauma, innocence, and adaptability through the eyes of a young boy whose entire world is the room where a man keeps him and his mother imprisoned and terrorized.

Similarly, the real-world consequences of abduction drive the plot in The Wrong Daughter, framing them within the genre’s conventions. Caitlin’s character embodies these conventions: Her guilt over Olivia’s abduction is so intense that she believes “it is [her] fault Olivia has been missing for sixteen years” (19). She even thinks her parents believe this. Her trauma colors her narrative perspective, making her an unreliable guide to the story’s events and forcing readers to question her perceptions. The novel’s focus on domestic disturbance and family secrets is likewise characteristic of the genre, turning the family home from a place of safety into a site of psychological suspense.