Book Review: The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor (February 16, 2021)
Length: 256 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
My one and only experience with Sarah Gailey before this had been River of Teeth, the first book of an alt-history hippo western novella series which I didn’t really get on with, so suffice to say I had no clue what I was in for with The Echo Wife, which sounded so different. However, one look at the wide range of genres and topics Gailey has tackled in recent years, it’s clear I’m also reading a very versatile and creative author, so I was actually feeling quite optimistic when I discovered this was a work of science fiction mystery and suspense.
Turns out, my hunch was correct. While The Echo Wife was certainly not typical of what I would expect from the genre, it hooked me regardless. We’re introduced to protagonist Dr. Eveyln Caldwell, a brilliant geneticist who specializes in cloning. At the start of the book, she is receiving an award for her contributions to the field, and we’re in her head as she reflects upon the journey and the sacrifices she’s had to make in order to get where she is today. For while her professional career may be in bloom, her personal life is in tatters. Years of putting her work before everything else has driven an irreversible wedge between Evelyn and her husband and fellow scientist Nathan, and now he’s made it clear she’s not the woman he wants anymore. He’s recently left her for someone else, a new wife who can give him what he’s always wanted: a family.
But what really sends Evelyn’s world crashing down is the other woman’s identity, who is soon revealed to be a clone of Evelyn herself. Still, while Martine may be physically identical to Evelyn, her personality is not. Nathan had programmed his new wife to be a more docile and compliant version of the original, and on top of that, he had also somehow managed to find a way to reverse a clone’s sterility, because Martine is very visibly pregnant when she confronts Evelyn for the first time. Angry and wounded, Evelyn subsequently unleashes a torrent of hurtful words at Martine, sending her scurrying home.
And that was the end of that—or so Evelyn thought. That very night though, she receives a frantic call from Martine, begging her to come over, and when Evelyn arrives, she finds Nathan dead on the floor in a pool of blood. Gradually, the story comes out. After her heated conversation with Evelyn, Martine had confronted Nathan on some of the subjects that were broached. He had turned violent, resulting in Martine having to defend herself. Now Evelyn has no choice but to help cover up the incident, because even if she didn’t feel slightly responsible for Nathan’s death, any police investigation would lead right back to her work and destroy her reputation and career.
Granted, this one took a little while to take off, but once we reach Evelyn’s point of no return, things just zip right off from there. And given the premise, of course you’re going to get a story that’s all about cloning! A good chunk of the action actually takes place in the lab as Evelyn takes us through the ins and outs of her research, and these turned out to be some of my favorite parts. Now might also be a good time to point out that Gailey plays pretty fast and loose with the science behind cloning, but that’s okay, because the point is not the technology, it’s the story and the characters. I especially enjoyed how the author explored the implications of Martine’s creation and the fact that her feelings and desires are no less real, even though they may have been “programmed” into her by Nathan, who had wanted her to be and act a certain way.
In this setting, we are not only steeped in a palpable atmosphere of experimentation, we are also granted little glimpses of insight into Evelyn’s personality (especially that bit with the breaking bones, yikes!) She’s clearly a driven woman, but under that cold, hard exterior is also a flawed and vulnerable person who can’t help but question her life choices even as she judges Martine for being her antithesis. Ultimately, I think the characters are why I enjoyed this book so much. The Echo Wife may have elements of a psychological thriller, but at the end of the day, it’s more of a slow-burn suspense than anything that will get your heart pumping. Evelyn was really the star of the show, her eerily cool demeanor adding to the forbidding atmosphere, though she is also a sympathetic protagonist. It helped that we got flashbacks to her childhood, which went a long way in explaining some of her hang ups. Then there were her interactions with Martine, and it’s clear that by the end of the book, the two of them have learned a lot from each other.
Sure, the ending was kind of slapdash and might have tied things up a bit too neatly, but by then I think the message has been established and, to be honest, the tensions up to this point were so elevated that I was just glad to have some relief. Obviously, I got what I wanted out of this psychological sci-fi suspense, and my experience with The Echo Wife turned out to be smashing success.
Lots of positive reviews for this one, it seems! I’ll keep an eye on The Echo Wife, then! 😀
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Hope you’ll enjoy it! It’s a very different kind of “sci-fi thriller”…more of a drama/suspense 🙂
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Nope for me, mystery is a trigger word.
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Haha, no worries! Mystery is a genre I’m only now branching into.
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Oh I didn’t know about this one but it looks interesting!
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I’ve seen so many great reviews for this one so I added it to my list. Glad you enjoyed it!
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Glad to hear it! I’m happy a lot of people are enjoying it 🙂
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The issues connected to cloning often make for a fascinating story, but in this case there is the added value of a compelling situation, and your mention of the characters’ impact on it is a further incentive to getting this book soon 🙂
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I hope you’ll get to pick it up! I would be curious to see what you think!
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Thank you for an excellent review, Mogsy. I’ve been keeping an eye on this one, as the premise really called to me – but there were aspects of River of Teeth that quite frustrated me, so I gave it a miss. Glad that you found this one a much more satisfying read:))
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I hear ya…I was not a big fan of River of Teeth either, but I’ve seen reviews of her other books and they all sound so different! I decided to take a chance on this one since I liked the sound of a sci-fi suspense and I’m glad I did!
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That’s good to know!
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I loved this and you’re right, Evelyn was the main draw for me too, although I was fascinated with her relationship with Martine as well.
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Everything about the relationships was just awesome – including the two women’s relationship with Nathan!
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Great review, Mogsy!!
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Thanks!
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I hadn’t realized this one was so short! I’ve been intrigued by the premise for a while, I might need to check it out soon….
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Yup! It was a quick read!
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I reaaaally need to get to this one. I’ve enjoyed everything Gailey’s done, so I’m hopeful!
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You’ll probably enjoy this one too! I hope you’ll get to read it soon 😀
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This is not my usual genre honestly but your reviewis amazing!
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Happy to see you enjoyed this one too – like you I also got ‘exactly what I wanted’ from this.
Lynn 😀
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This sounds great. I really want to read it! I’m hoping I can get to it, lol. Glad you enjoyed it!
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Cloning offers a lot of potential for a story, so glad to hear this one delivered. I wasn’t too excited by the descriptions of River of Teeth but this one does appeal to me. Glad you enjoyed it!
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Smashing success? Ohhhh
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This sounds really twisted.. and I don’t even feel bad for Nathan. Anyone else feeling the ‘Stepford Wives’ vibe here? Definitely tbr.
Thank you for posting this! 😆
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