threesixtyrhi's review against another edition
3.0
Evelyn Caldwell is an award winning scientist, studying and creating human clones. The one problem in her life? Her soon-to-be ex-husband, Nathan, replaced her with a clone, Martine, in order to finally get the "perfect", obedient, gentle wife he's always wanted - and a baby.
This book was a nice slow burn in my opinion. It wasn't necessarily suspenseful, but the story itself made it hard to put the book down because of how interesting and engaging it was. It has sci-fi, murder, and emotional transformations along with a unique storyline and excellent writing. I also liked how the author depicted change in both women over the course of the book. Fierce Evelyn becomes more compassionate and understanding, and obedient Martine learns to find her own voice.
This book was a nice slow burn in my opinion. It wasn't necessarily suspenseful, but the story itself made it hard to put the book down because of how interesting and engaging it was. It has sci-fi, murder, and emotional transformations along with a unique storyline and excellent writing. I also liked how the author depicted change in both women over the course of the book. Fierce Evelyn becomes more compassionate and understanding, and obedient Martine learns to find her own voice.
cmaree88's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kirs10geese's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I don’t know why this book isn’t more famous. It was one of my favorite reads of the year (maybe it’s because I’m a scientist?) It would be a really fun book club book. It’s deeply disturbing. Usually if I find the main character ‘bad’ I dislike the book. But I was still entranced by the book despite the chilliness and ruthlessness of the MC.
birdyreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of twists, page turner. It’s sci-fi so obviously suspension of disbelief is required.
itzami's review against another edition
1.0
If it wasn’t for double speed on Audiobooks, I probably wouldn’t have finished this book. The plot is nearly none, the character feels like blobs and,really, there’s nothing engaging about the story.
For me, this book could have been split into four different and very good books (spoilers ahead, of course):
- The story about a scientist, who discovered how to create clones, and now lives in the moral dilemma on how similar she should make them similar to their own humane counterparts
- The story about that same scientist and how her husband ended up betraying her to do his own research just to create a clone of her
- The story about a clone living in the humane world and trying to find out how she could survive in it. What kind of morals she should guide herself by, when she really doesn’t have any identity at all.
- The story of a scientist, trying to reproduce the best way, possible, his wife or her wife, and completely failing it, and having a garden full of dead bad clones
For me, this book could have been split into four different and very good books (spoilers ahead, of course):
- The story about a scientist, who discovered how to create clones, and now lives in the moral dilemma on how similar she should make them similar to their own humane counterparts
- The story about that same scientist and how her husband ended up betraying her to do his own research just to create a clone of her
- The story about a clone living in the humane world and trying to find out how she could survive in it. What kind of morals she should guide herself by, when she really doesn’t have any identity at all.
- The story of a scientist, trying to reproduce the best way, possible, his wife or her wife, and completely failing it, and having a garden full of dead bad clones
softanimal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Body horror, and Medical content
lexitrumble's review against another edition
3.0
I love Sarah Gailey’s writing, that much is a given. I’m not much of a sci-fi girly, but this had enough thriller marketing around it that I found myself mostly enjoying it nonetheless. It wasn’t the most action-packed story I’ve ever read, but it wasn’t intended to be. It was slow, and insidious, and unsettling. It was deep and dark and…fiercely human. It was, all told, a story I’m proud was shared with the world. It wasn’t quite to my taste, but I can’t deny that it was powerfully conceptualized and intentionally executed.
It starts out pretty interesting, and then tapers off in terms of action. The twists are fine, the plot moderately (pretty slowly, actually) paced, but the acknowledgements and the bigger picture really solidified this as a narrative for me. Sarah Gailey’s talent is undeniable, and I’m grateful to them for penning this story.
It starts out pretty interesting, and then tapers off in terms of action. The twists are fine, the plot moderately (pretty slowly, actually) paced, but the acknowledgements and the bigger picture really solidified this as a narrative for me. Sarah Gailey’s talent is undeniable, and I’m grateful to them for penning this story.
catreader18's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting plot but it had a few too many holes to be believable. I loved the details and the story itself but there were not enough people questioning the husband.
ericawrites's review against another edition
5.0
The Echo Wife is a portrait of domestic violence wrapped in sci-fi thriller packaging. Evelyn is a brilliant scientist working on human cloning and trying to escape her past. Both the specter of her abusive father and now her ex-husband Nathan, who stole her work, created a clone of her Martine, divorced her for Martine, and impregnated Martine. There is a phrase, "you never know someone else's marriage," but can your clone know your marriage?
Due to her childhood trauma, Evelyn could not connect well with others, and Nathan was one of the only people she was able to open up to. But like a good thriller, she didn't know Nathan as well as she thought.
Clones are considered biomedical waste and not human and are used for specific purposes and killed without consideration when they are no longer helpful. Evelyn's journey here meant she had to relearn how to have a human connection and be concerned, not detached, from her emotions. She also must reckon with how not to become her father or Nathan with the people who come to love her and vice versa.
Some of the exchanges between Martine and Evelyn were just chilling in how they were the same person. Still, Martine is also a metaphor for Evelyn's neglected emotional self and lost innocence and how to care for and nurture the part of you that has been harmed by abuse and Evelyn's missteps in doing so. The ending scene with Evelyn at her father's desk and Martine asking her questions and how their interactions are like the ones that child Evelyn craved with her father was brilliant to show an alternative path to everyone that happened to her.