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booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THE ECHO WIFE gripped me from the first line, using calm and precise language to build a horrific tale of abuse and death. Every revelation drops like a stone into water, raising the level by inches until it feels like it can hold no more.
This is a well-paced thriller which doles out disturbing news just often enough to be unsettling. Evelyn's descriptions consistently bury the lede, pondering first the reactions and consequences to some very important piece of information before finally circling back to say what caused the fuss in the first place. It reshapes the weight of these moments to emphasize how dealing with each horrible (and sometimes not so horrible) event affects those who remain. It's disassociation in book form, as if Evelyn isn't ready to look at what's going on and must approach everything at an angle in order to have any chance of reaching it at all. I especially love the complex discussions about the ethics of cloning, the difference between what Nathan did and what Evelyn does, if there is one.
It's about healing, clawing back by inches what was taken and filling in new things where the old bits are lost forever. Figuring out what bits of Evelyn and Martine belong to themselves, leaving space for them to want different things even though they started out as the same person. It's shaped by the absence of an abuser, the gap left behind by someone who demanded that every thought fit his needs.
This is a well-paced thriller which doles out disturbing news just often enough to be unsettling. Evelyn's descriptions consistently bury the lede, pondering first the reactions and consequences to some very important piece of information before finally circling back to say what caused the fuss in the first place. It reshapes the weight of these moments to emphasize how dealing with each horrible (and sometimes not so horrible) event affects those who remain. It's disassociation in book form, as if Evelyn isn't ready to look at what's going on and must approach everything at an angle in order to have any chance of reaching it at all. I especially love the complex discussions about the ethics of cloning, the difference between what Nathan did and what Evelyn does, if there is one.
It's about healing, clawing back by inches what was taken and filling in new things where the old bits are lost forever. Figuring out what bits of Evelyn and Martine belong to themselves, leaving space for them to want different things even though they started out as the same person. It's shaped by the absence of an abuser, the gap left behind by someone who demanded that every thought fit his needs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Medical content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide, Abortion, and Death of parent
Contains a staged suicide.thesaltiestlibrarian's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.
I've been in this weird kind of funk lately where I've picked up books by authors who haven't impressed me before, only to really like the book I picked up. Emma Donoghue, Kara Thomas, Fredrik Backman, and now Sarah Gailey. This year I read UPRIGHT WOMEN WANTED but felt that the world was muddled and the story had no point. But the summary for THE ECHO WIFE really grabbed my attention, so--in spite of myself--I started reading. And I couldn't stop.
The characters felt so real here. The dire situations made my hair stand on end, and the philosophical knots presented were so mesmerizing to pick at. As soon as the sentient, sapient, what is a person argument whirled into the narrative, I immediately recommended this book to my husband. He LOVES stuff like this, and I know he'll enjoy it just as much as I did.
Sarah Gailey speaks about their own experiences with domestic abuse in the acknowledgements, and I personally identified with that part of the story because of the accuracy. I hate that they had to go through that. My brothers, mother, and myself are domestic abuse survivors, and the insidious way it crept into the lives of Evelyn and Martine here...it's chilling and scary and real.
I don't want to say too much. People should experience this semi-blind, because it's not at all what you expect it to be.
I've been in this weird kind of funk lately where I've picked up books by authors who haven't impressed me before, only to really like the book I picked up. Emma Donoghue, Kara Thomas, Fredrik Backman, and now Sarah Gailey. This year I read UPRIGHT WOMEN WANTED but felt that the world was muddled and the story had no point. But the summary for THE ECHO WIFE really grabbed my attention, so--in spite of myself--I started reading. And I couldn't stop.
The characters felt so real here. The dire situations made my hair stand on end, and the philosophical knots presented were so mesmerizing to pick at. As soon as the sentient, sapient, what is a person argument whirled into the narrative, I immediately recommended this book to my husband. He LOVES stuff like this, and I know he'll enjoy it just as much as I did.
Sarah Gailey speaks about their own experiences with domestic abuse in the acknowledgements, and I personally identified with that part of the story because of the accuracy. I hate that they had to go through that. My brothers, mother, and myself are domestic abuse survivors, and the insidious way it crept into the lives of Evelyn and Martine here...it's chilling and scary and real.
I don't want to say too much. People should experience this semi-blind, because it's not at all what you expect it to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Blood, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Abortion
shaunashares's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Medical content
Moderate: Suicide
lowkeymarie's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Gaslighting
heather_books's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What if Dr. Frankenstein was a woman…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
jujubeees's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide and Abortion
diamonds1202's review
slow-paced
The premise of this book is not bad - in fact, I would say the plot is a great plot. Evelyn is a scientist who has engineered the ability to make human clones. Without her knowledge or consent, her husband (or rather ex-husband) creates a clone using Evelyn’s technology of Evelyn, to create the perfect and most obedient wife.
However, despite the wonderful story that could have been built on this plot line, this story fell so flat to me. Despite the wonderful possibilities for significant character development, it all felt incredibly stagnant to me. Sometimes even a great storyline can’t make a great book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Suicide
nadia_b's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Best read when in the mood for a dark, twisted, thriller. Recommended read for fans of Black Mirror, Orphan Black, and Ex Machina.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Misogyny
Minor: Suicide and Abortion
lisacanteven's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I had high hopes for this book, but right away I knew it would not be a 5 star read. And that's okay. I was intrigued enough by the premise to keep reading. It was interesting, but that is about where it stopped. It only ever got interesting. Never mind-blowing or even intriguing.
There was a lot of repetition. It often felt like the author just didn't know what to write to flesh out the story. I kept waiting for twists and turns that I would have included in the story, but they never came. Basically I am saying that I maybe could of helped with brainstorming this plot. I'm not saying I could do it better, but I just saw this taking a more sinister path.
There was a lot of repetition. It often felt like the author just didn't know what to write to flesh out the story. I kept waiting for twists and turns that I would have included in the story, but they never came. Basically I am saying that I maybe could of helped with brainstorming this plot. I'm not saying I could do it better, but I just saw this taking a more sinister path.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
nxclx's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such an interesting read, and while not the "nonstop thrill" that the synopsis said that it would be, I found it captivating and thought provoking. Personally, I think it reads more as a novella, with limited characters and a somewhat vague and limited setting. Kind of a mix of This is How You Lose the Time War mixed with the gore of Wilder Girls or The Grace Year. It didn't keep me on the edge of my seat, but rather had me calmly bracing for what was to come next, as if I was in the narrators shoes. It worked really well for me and I'll definitely be checking out the authors other works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit