Nutshell is probably unlike any other thriller you have read, largely because it is narrated by a foetus. This unnamed narrator experiences everything from inside its mother’s body and through her senses and perceptions.

And far from being the childish mind you might expect, the baby has intelligence and taste. He absorbs first-class wine and food through his mother and regularly engages with talkback radio and podcasts, which have allowed him to develop a refined sense of the world around him. He understands the political intricacies of Europe and the gender politics of the modern world; he quotes poetry, Machiavelli and French intellectual Roland Barthes. Here is an unborn genius – all the potential in the world.

Despite this, his days are spent concentrating on the keenest focus of his mother’s mind – the murder of her husband, which will allow her and her lover (her husband’s brother) to be together and enjoy financial stability. The child finds himself an unwilling passenger, a helpless bystander and accessory to murder.

He loves his fallible mother but cannot bear the thought of his father’s murder. But what can a foetus to do to shape the world outside of the womb? What power or influence can he possibly wield?

This is a clever tale with several uncomfortable moments as the child explains his position inside his mother’s body and his physical and emotional connection to her – particularly around the child’s response to his mother’s sex life. This is an original novel that will resonate with anyone familiar with the story of Hamlet. Enjoy the Shakespearean undertones and the elegant prose.

Reviewed by Lauren Cook