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rachreads681's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, and Infidelity
junkyard's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Abortion, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Violence
emptychurches's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Child abuse
Minor: Ableism, Abortion, Alcohol, Body horror, Misogyny, and Vomit
blakethebookeater's review
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Infidelity
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Child abuse
rorikae's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The story follows Evelyn Caldwell a revered scientist who has invented a process to clone humans. Despite her acclaimed career, Evelyn's personal life is far from golden. Her husband left her for a clone of herself that he created, minus all of the traits he considers flaws. But when Martine, Evelyn's clone, calls Evelyn to tell her that her ex-husband is dead, Evelyn's life begins to unravel in ways she never expected.
Sarah Gailey is one of my favorite authors for their ability to create deep, nuanced novels that are near impossible to put down and 'The Echo Wife' is another demonstration of their skill. On the surface, this novel sounds like a domestic thriller with a near future edge, which it is. But this book is also so much more than that. It is a nuanced exploration of familial trauma, emotional abuse, personhood, and gender roles. The relationship between Evelyn and Martine allows Evelyn to explore parts of her past that she has never chosen to address while also creating dialogue about what makes a person. Each character is flawed and not necessarily lovable, but this makes them deeply human in a way that is sometimes painful to read. Gailey also adds in a good helping of twists and turns that pull the story along to a conclusion I found incredibly satisfying. This is a hard book but worth every page. Gailey is already an auto-buy author for me and 'The Echo Wife' cemented why I think everyone needs to be reading their work.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and Suicide
trailmixraisins's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Misogyny
Minor: Grief, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
laguerrelewis's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This story is more thought provoking than probably anything else I’ve ever encountered. It shies away from nothing, and tackles it’s characters and ideas expertly. If you can handle it, I cannot recommend this book enough. Sarah Gailey is one to watch.
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, and Abortion
Contains a staged suicide.laurenw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
shaunashares's review
- 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
Graphic: Medical content and Blood
Moderate: Suicide