Paperback, 256 pages
Published Jan. 25, 2022 by Tor Books.
The slow drip of dread becomes a tsunami of terror by the last few chapters. Sarah Gailey's writing of a character who is monstrous, aware of her monstrosity, and simultaneously trying to defend herself against even greater monsters all around her is fantastic.
Easily the most engrossing book I've read in a long time. Take science fiction (cloning) and mix it with domestic suspense (murder!) into a very compelling and original plot. Rather than presenting the reader with a babyface and heels, the book has complex characters that lean toward mean because they come from damaging backgrounds. And while I didn't want to root for them, the story drew me in to where I wanted to see everyone have a satisfying end, rather than get what they deserved.
The background of these characters makes the story extremely layered and rich, but a warning. As the author writes in their acknowledgements, The Echo Wife is about abuse, grooming and identity. My abuse was long enough ago, and my psyche is hard to damage these days. The specific situations described are also dissimilar enough from what I faced that I did not have trouble with …
Easily the most engrossing book I've read in a long time. Take science fiction (cloning) and mix it with domestic suspense (murder!) into a very compelling and original plot. Rather than presenting the reader with a babyface and heels, the book has complex characters that lean toward mean because they come from damaging backgrounds. And while I didn't want to root for them, the story drew me in to where I wanted to see everyone have a satisfying end, rather than get what they deserved.
The background of these characters makes the story extremely layered and rich, but a warning. As the author writes in their acknowledgements, The Echo Wife is about abuse, grooming and identity. My abuse was long enough ago, and my psyche is hard to damage these days. The specific situations described are also dissimilar enough from what I faced that I did not have trouble with my own memories while reading. However, there are a lot of people for whom this will be tough reading. Check your headspace before diving in.
It was good, and creepy!
I loved the sense of creeping doom as I unraveled each drip of exposition.
At first I couldn't see how this and Upright Women Wanted could possibly be from the same author, but eventually similar themes around trust, betrayal, and self-loathing/-punishment emerged.
A big resounding YAY for The Echo Wife. This is absolutely the best book I've read this year.
Now, I'm not a sciencey type person so maybe there were things that someone with a science background would call BS over but, for me, the whole thing seemed plausible and, because of that, scary. I loved Evelyn's perspective and I'm glad we only got her POV. She had emotions but didn't allow them to overshadow her logic. And Martine... I loved her too. I loved the whole damn book. All of it. I don't believe I've ever read anything quite like it.
Now I need to find more books by Sarah Gailey. Because wow.
Massive thanks to Tor Books for inviting me to read this through NetGalley.
