Scan barcode
caroline_2605's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
melaniesreads's review
5.0
In The Waiting Rooms Eve Smith tackled drug resistance, this time round it’s genetics that get the wonderfully fictional but all too realistic Smith spin. Her books always give me pause for thought and I come away with my own moral perspective on them. Playing God has definitely been at the heart of both books and while science has come on leaps and bounds it is not always without consequence.
Altering genes to prevent illnesses sounds like a pro but are the cons worth it? The scope this book gives is immense, it is a thinking reader’s thriller. Throwing everything at your brain including the kitchen sink, religion plays a part, science, medicine, ethics and at the heart of it all is Susan a woman desperate to be a mother at all cost. After trying for years the natural way when everyone else she knows has gone down the IVF route, they now have either a rapidly swelling bump or a bundle of joy while all she has is tears every month.
So when a one night stand gives her what she longs for and with her husband kept unaware she will have to go to great lengths to cover up what she has done. This is definitely a book of two parts with the narrative switching from Susan to her daughter years later. Showing the true reality of her decisions and a very different perspective that divided my loyalty.
I am normally very opinionated and find it easy to choose a moral side. This book however put me in a real moral quandary. As I have a progressive and life limiting disease if the science had been available to my mum would I have been flagged and aborted in the so called strive for perfection and designer babies? If I had the choice to see if my children would develop my rare disease would I have taken it? The truth is, to me perfection is overrated and I like the Japanese way of looking at imperfection, mend the cracks with gold to make them more beautiful. My disability has taken things from me but it has also given me so much, compassion (which I was probably lacking before) a wicked sense of humour and an indefeasible spirit.
I may not be perfect but does that make me any less?
Altering genes to prevent illnesses sounds like a pro but are the cons worth it? The scope this book gives is immense, it is a thinking reader’s thriller. Throwing everything at your brain including the kitchen sink, religion plays a part, science, medicine, ethics and at the heart of it all is Susan a woman desperate to be a mother at all cost. After trying for years the natural way when everyone else she knows has gone down the IVF route, they now have either a rapidly swelling bump or a bundle of joy while all she has is tears every month.
So when a one night stand gives her what she longs for and with her husband kept unaware she will have to go to great lengths to cover up what she has done. This is definitely a book of two parts with the narrative switching from Susan to her daughter years later. Showing the true reality of her decisions and a very different perspective that divided my loyalty.
I am normally very opinionated and find it easy to choose a moral side. This book however put me in a real moral quandary. As I have a progressive and life limiting disease if the science had been available to my mum would I have been flagged and aborted in the so called strive for perfection and designer babies? If I had the choice to see if my children would develop my rare disease would I have taken it? The truth is, to me perfection is overrated and I like the Japanese way of looking at imperfection, mend the cracks with gold to make them more beautiful. My disability has taken things from me but it has also given me so much, compassion (which I was probably lacking before) a wicked sense of humour and an indefeasible spirit.
I may not be perfect but does that make me any less?
ljwrites85's review
3.0
I enjoyed Eve Smith's debut novel, The Waiting Rooms, so I immediately wanted to read her next book.
Off Target is a realistic psychological thriller with a sci-fi twist, much like her first novel, but this one it centres around pregnancy, IVF and the risks of messing with our genetic makeup.
In the not too distant future, deadly diseases are being eradicated with the help of 'editing'. I mean, who wouldn't want to make sure their child is happy and healthy? Sadly, people take things too far with consequences for everyone.
I really felt for Susan. She so much wants a child and watching her suffer through unexplained infertility was tough to read, her longing and desperate reading comes through in the writing. A one stand leads to a baby, but in order to protect her marriage, she goes to great lengths to stop her secret from coming out. The story fast forwards eleven years and we watch Susan struggle to be a good mother and bond with her daughter Zurel, carrying around her guilt.
This is the kind of book that will make you think. It covers the tough subject of infertility and IVF but also the moral dilemmas around gene editing and whether that sort of thing is ever right.
I feel like this book was a bit of a slow burn, with pretty much all the action happening near the end of the book, which made the ending feel a bit rushed, but of course that's my opinion.
If you're looking for a character driven novel about moral dilemmas that will give you plenty to think about afterwards, then I would highly recommend Off Target to you.
Off Target is a realistic psychological thriller with a sci-fi twist, much like her first novel, but this one it centres around pregnancy, IVF and the risks of messing with our genetic makeup.
In the not too distant future, deadly diseases are being eradicated with the help of 'editing'. I mean, who wouldn't want to make sure their child is happy and healthy? Sadly, people take things too far with consequences for everyone.
I really felt for Susan. She so much wants a child and watching her suffer through unexplained infertility was tough to read, her longing and desperate reading comes through in the writing. A one stand leads to a baby, but in order to protect her marriage, she goes to great lengths to stop her secret from coming out. The story fast forwards eleven years and we watch Susan struggle to be a good mother and bond with her daughter Zurel, carrying around her guilt.
This is the kind of book that will make you think. It covers the tough subject of infertility and IVF but also the moral dilemmas around gene editing and whether that sort of thing is ever right.
I feel like this book was a bit of a slow burn, with pretty much all the action happening near the end of the book, which made the ending feel a bit rushed, but of course that's my opinion.
If you're looking for a character driven novel about moral dilemmas that will give you plenty to think about afterwards, then I would highly recommend Off Target to you.
sarahinreaderland's review
5.0
I was obsessed with the debut from @evecsmith (you can read my review of The Waiting Rooms here). So naturally I have had her second book; Off Target in my TBR list since I heard that it was being published.
Description
Description
imalwayswrite's review
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
4.0
The world in Off-Target could start happening in a few years, where scientists are able to manipulate babies’ genes in order to rid them of genetic disorders. In Off-Target they’ve gone too far. Not only are parents making sure their babies stay healthy, some are engineered to excel at sports or schoolwork, etc. Of course not everyone can afford this.
Susan Rawlins has fertility issues that IVF couldn’t fix. She has a one-night stand with a colleague and becomes pregnant. Except she’s married. She’s put in touch with a doctor who can replace the biological father’s genes with Susan’s husband’s genes. No one would ever know. The child would resemble the husband. And because it would be a clinical trial, the cost for services is free. Susan wants a baby badly, so she decides to go through with it.
Off-Target is a fast-paced novel—I couldn’t put it down. It takes place in the UK so some of the slang may not be familiar to American readers. Obviously it delves into bioethics. It made me question my own thoughts and beliefs about genetic engineering. It’s a book that makes you think.