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.
guerra_sio's review against another edition
3.0
Meet Evelyne, scientist and winner of accolades. Meet Martine, Evelyne's clone designed to be everything that Evelyne isn't. Meet Nathan, Evelyne's husband. Sorry, ex-husband. Sorry, dead ex-husband
uajamie's review against another edition
dark
fast-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
4.0
sashahc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
I just finished “The Echo Wife” by Sarah Gailey. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a main character so simultaneously horrifying and compelling. There was nothing heart warming about this book, and it uncomfortably plausible near future SFF, but it was really good and I stayed up way too late reading it.
bookswithcori's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
beelzebean's review against another edition
4.0
It was really difficult to rate this book. I originally wanted to give it three stars, but I decided to give it a fourth because the premise was creative and held my attention. Perhaps I'd truly rate it 3 1/2 stars.
onceuponatrope's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
1morepaige's review against another edition
5.0
Edit: OMFG the cover is so perfect
I can’t wait to buy a pretty hardcover copy for my shelf
sukhlovesreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0