Synopsis from Macmillan Publishers:
I’m embarrassed, still, by how long it took me to notice. Everything was right there in the open, right there in front of me, but it still took me so long to see the person I had married.
It took me so long to hate him.
Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell’s award- winning research. She’s patient and gentle and obedient. She’s everything Evelyn swore she’d never be.
And she’s having an affair with Evelyn’s husband.
Now, the cheating bastard is dead, and both Caldwell wives have a mess to clean up.
Good thing Evelyn Caldwell is used to getting her hands dirty.
About: The Echo Wife is a mystery thriller science fiction fantasy written by Sarah Gailey. It will be published on 2/16/2021 by Tor Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, paperback 256 pages. The genres are mystery thriller, science fiction fantasy, LGBT, and adult fiction. The author has published many other books, but this is my first read. According to the publisher’s website, “Tor Books is the most successful science fiction and fantasy publisher in the world. Winner of the Locus Award for best SF publisher 20 years in a row, Tor regularly puts books like Robert Jordan’s Knife of Dreams and Terry Goodkind’s Chainfire atop national bestseller lists.” Please see below for more information about the author and publisher.
My Experience: I started reading The Echo Wife on 1/28/2021 and finished it on 2/4/2021. This book was a fascinating read! I don’t know much about clones, but I loved the idea. While reading, I’m a bit squeamish about being up close and personal in the lab that used to create clones and especially what the assistant had to do with the clone when it came out not as intended. I’m contemplating whether it’s murder when Nathan got rid of the clones he considered as failed only because they do look exactly like human. The term bio waste got me thinking how scientist can be so cold hearted and cruel like the main character and her father. I wouldn’t put LGBT as a genre (as indicated on Goodreads) for this book because there weren’t any. It’s more of a friendship or sisters than lgbt.
This book followed Dr. Evelyn Caldwell, told in the first person point of view, as she got dressed up in a fancy gown to celebrate herself and her legacy. She won a prestigious award for her cloning work. However, she was not in a celebratory mood because of her husband’s extracurricular activities. Her husband Nathan, who worked with her before he changed career, utilized her research to create a clone version of Evelyn named Martine and cheated on Evelyn with the clone. The clone was made to do everything Evelyn doesn’t, including wanting to be a mother. One day, after an argument, Nathan ended up gotten stabbed. Evelyn couldn’t let the police know because the secrets will unravel and her legacy would be ruined. The story was told in the present with many memories of the past.
The Echo Wife was an interesting read, part science fiction that dealt with cloning and part mystery thriller that dealt with Evelyn’s childhood and her parents. I liked seeing how information were planted into someone. It’s a neat trick. Though I wonder why Evelyn’s father was so frightening and why everyone was afraid of him. I liked how the ending came together. I’m glad there’s a solution for everyone. A workaholic like Evelyn, I guess I can understand why she doesn’t want to bother herself with another man. I do recommend everyone to read this book and I’m looking forward to reading different opinions.
Tag Lines: fast paced, page turner, clone, intelligent characters, mystery, marriage,
I rate it 5 stars!
Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository or Macmillan’s website
About the Author:
Hugo Award-winning and bestselling author Sarah Gailey is an internationally published writer of fiction and nonfiction. Their nonfiction has been published by Mashable and The Boston Globe, and they won a Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer. Their fiction credits also include Vice and The Atlantic. Their debut novella, River of Teeth, was a 2018 finalist for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. Their bestselling adult novel debut, Magic For Liars, was published in 2019. (Photo and info obtained from Macmillan’s website).
More Information About Tor Books
Website: https://us.macmillan.com/torforge | Twitter: www.twitter.com/torbooks | Facebook: www.facebook.com/torbooks | Instagram: www.instagram.com/torbooks
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Tor Books for the opportunity to read and review. Your bookmail have surpassed all of my bookmails experiences and expectations! Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine
This sounds like a pretty unique read! The whole clone thing sounds so fun – and scary! There is something always appealing about the evil, cold hearted scientist – you always want them to get their comeuppance!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I never knew that scientist needed to be cold hearted.. but it does make sense. Like frankenstein.. need to be brave to bring the dead back to life.. need to be brave to work with dead bodies..
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is very true. It’s like they need to be emotionally detached in order to do the work.
LikeLiked by 1 person