Reviews

This is the sort of mind-blowing, thought-provoking thriller that will not only have you on the edge of your seat, it will have you thinking in a very different way about our identities and what makes us who we are. This is truly one of the best books of 2019 in my opinion, and I’m referring to all genre!! I have been recommending this and buying copies for everyone I can think of, because it is a rare blend of socially impactful and truly outstanding fiction.

The story weaves back and forth between two narratives—the story of a scientist named Gabby who accidentally invented the Flash, and the story a few decades later of a mysterious young woman named Annami who is on a covert mission to reveal the dark underbelly of the technology and hopefully put a stop to it. I found both narratives equally compelling to read, though Annami’s is a bit more action-packed, and Gabby’s is more intellectually driven (at first).

When Gabby is seeking a cure for Alzheimer’s and accidentally flashes herself temporarily into her husband’s body, she is torn between the terror of finding herself in another person, and the scientific curiosity of what this discovery could mean. One aspect to Gabby’s character that is particularly relevant is that she is a black woman, and because of that, Gabby’s mind instantly goes to the social implications of this discovery: is it harder to hate someone for outward characteristics if anyone could be behind the physical façade? Could this technology reduce racism and classism? Could it make people more tolerant?

A few decades later and we see what the Flash has become. Regulated and legal now, there are two foundational rules about the Flash: 1. A person has to return to their host body before flashing to a new vessel (no flashing between vessels); 2. If one dies, both die (when you are in another body, if either your body or the one you are in dies, both of you die). These are paramount to maintaining order with the Flash, and preventing people from using it for bad reasons.

But as Annami shows us, there is a very dark side to the Flash. A sort of underground lawless market where someone for a price can use a body anonymously for any purpose they choose. And as we learn, there may be even worse things happening than that. Annami is on a mission to expose the problems with the technology, but to do so she needs to make money and fast. So she begins to rent her body out on the darkshare…

There are so many fascinating and dark characters in this book! From the woman who runs the darkshare location that Annami is using, to the financer of Gabby’s research, and a bunch of others who I won’t name because I don’t want to spoil it!

This book was truly unputdownable and definitely one of the best books I read this year. Thought-provoking, edge of your seat, thrilling concept, and excellent execution! Thank you to Harper Perennial for my copy. Opinions are my own.

_bookswithzo's review against another edition

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DNF. just can't get into it. might come back at a later date because i'm enjoying the premise but something about it isn't hooking me. and life's too short for books that don't have you hooked.