🏖️ Book Review: Shell Game by Rumaan Alam (Kindle Edition, Getaway Collection)
A tense, introspective short story that turns a family vacation into a psychological minefield—Rumaan Alam delivers a quietly unsettling portrait of masculinity, resentment, and the illusions we build to survive.
🧠 Overview
Published in August 2022 as part of Amazon Original Stories’ Getaway Collection, Shell Game is a 29-page literary short story by Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind. The story follows Mark, a seemingly content husband and father, as he joins his extended family for a summer vacation in Cape Cod. But beneath the surface of beach outings and shared meals lies a growing unease—especially around his abrasive brother-in-law, Geoff, whose erratic behavior and radical views begin to unravel Mark’s sense of self.
As the trip unfolds, Mark’s internal monologue reveals a man grappling with aging, identity, and the uncomfortable truths about his family—and himself.
🧩 Key Themes & Highlights
- 🧠 Masculinity and identity: Mark’s quiet crisis reflects deeper anxieties about purpose, aging, and emotional repression
- 🏖️ Vacation as pressure cooker: The idyllic setting contrasts with rising tension, making every interaction feel loaded
- 🧛 Family dynamics: Geoff’s loud, erratic presence forces Mark to confront long-standing discomforts and suspicions
- 🐚 Symbolism of the “shell game”: A literal game played with children becomes a metaphor for deception, distraction, and hidden truths
“An extended family’s Cape Cod vacation reveals uncomfortable truths that threaten one man’s illusion of happiness…” — Goodreads summary
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 2.30/5 from over 3,000 ratings
- 📖 Readers are sharply divided—some praise the story’s subtlety and psychological depth, while others find it disjointed or disturbing
- 🧾 Criticisms include ambiguous character motivations and discomfort with certain themes, including unsettling inner thoughts and vague moral boundaries
- 💬 “Alam’s writing is lyrical and layered, but the story left me feeling more confused than moved.” — StoryGraph reviewer
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At 29 pages, it’s a quick read—best approached as a character study rather than a plot-driven narrative
- 🧠 Ambiguous tone: The story raises uncomfortable questions without offering clear answers, which may frustrate some readers
- 📚 Part of a collection: One of six stories in the Getaway Collection, each exploring dream escapes that take sinister turns
🏁 Final Verdict
Shell Game is a quietly unsettling literary short that uses the backdrop of a family vacation to explore deeper psychological and emotional fractures. Rumaan Alam’s prose is sharp and introspective, but the story’s ambiguity and discomfort may not be for everyone. If you enjoy character-driven fiction that probes beneath the surface of domestic life, this Kindle edition offers a thought-provoking—if divisive—experience.
