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A review by brownflopsy
Off Target by Eve Smith
4.0
Susan longs for a child, but after years of trying for a baby with her husband Steve the hoped for pregnancy seems an impossible dream. Frustrated that Steve refuses to consider investigating the possibility of medical intervention, even though IVF is a common solution for the increasing number of couples facing fertility problems, Susan has a drunken one night stand with a work colleague - a sexual encounter that results in her getting pregnant.
Susan cannot bring herself to end this pregnancy, especially since this may be her only chance of having a child, but she also cannot allow her husband to find out that he is not the father of this baby. Caught in a dilemma, Susan agrees to the suggestion from her best friend to undergo a pioneering genetic treatment at an unregulated clinic in Ukraine that promises to solve all her problems. It's vital that no one ever finds out about what she has done.
Years later, Susan and Steve are the parents of a ten-year-old daughter called Zurel, who seems healthy, despite recently choosing to become a selective mute for reasons they have been unable to fathom. Susan is concerned that the treatment she received when she was carrying her may be responsible, but she cannot admit this to Steve as he remains blissfully unaware of the circumstances of Zurel's conception and the procedure she underwent.
But world events are about to expose Susan's desperate deception. The consequences of the widespread abuse of genetic tinkering in the last ten years are now having an impact on the children who have had their genes altered. A host of unexpected side effects, otherwise known as off-target effects, are being exhibited in these children, including a range of serious illnesses, and some of them have taken their own lives.
People are asking questions about gene therapy, and the explosion of non-medical interventions for those who can afford the price tag to ensure their children are born 'perfect'. The tide is turning, and world-wide protests are just the start of a menacing movement against those who have received genetic interventions. Susan's secret is no longer safe, and her family is in danger...
Eve Smith has the knack for taking a contemporary issue and speculating just how perilous this could become in the near future if events go unchecked. This time, instead of turning her attention to the antibiotic crisis as she did so well in her chilling debut novel The Waiting Rooms, she opens up a whole new Pandora's Box of terrifying themes by exploring the world of gene therapy in Off Target.
Off Target is a cautionary tale, delving into a wealth of dystopian themes around how misguided genetic tinkering can lead to catastrophe. Much of this reminds me of the manner in which Michael Crichton explored how gene splicing could be abused for ill-considered ends in his books, as Smith plays with the 'standing on the shoulders of giants' theme like in Jurassic Park and the controversy surrounding the ownership of genetic material in Next. She asks the same sort of ethical questions - a case of never mind the 'Could we do this?', but rather 'Should we do this?' - weaving these threads into an unsettling thriller that grips your heart with icy fingers.
I think it's fair to say that the majority of characters here are generally unlikeable, and Susan's motives are especially unpalatable, even though she is convinced she is doing the right thing at the time, but Smith uses them all to great effect in this story provoking feelings of anger and loss as you get involved in the nitty gritty of their lives - and my goodness, does she make you examine the blacks, whites and all the shades of grey about gene therapy. I enjoyed how Smith brings in much wider issues in the telling of this tale, touching on aspects such as infertility, the right to parenthood, science vs religion, money, politics, control, and how AI can isolate us from each other. She offers an added thought-provoking dimension by examining how the children affected by genetic treatments might actually think about what has been done to them - something I have not really considered before. The references to Kubrik/Spielberg's movie AI are also cleverly used to enhance the poignancy of Zural's part in the story.
This book is a clear-your-schedule, read in one single sitting affair, because you will not be able to put it down once you begin, and it will leave you with a lot to think about once it spits you out at the end. I cannot wait to see what dystopian nightmare Smith chooses to dissect in her next book!
Susan cannot bring herself to end this pregnancy, especially since this may be her only chance of having a child, but she also cannot allow her husband to find out that he is not the father of this baby. Caught in a dilemma, Susan agrees to the suggestion from her best friend to undergo a pioneering genetic treatment at an unregulated clinic in Ukraine that promises to solve all her problems. It's vital that no one ever finds out about what she has done.
Years later, Susan and Steve are the parents of a ten-year-old daughter called Zurel, who seems healthy, despite recently choosing to become a selective mute for reasons they have been unable to fathom. Susan is concerned that the treatment she received when she was carrying her may be responsible, but she cannot admit this to Steve as he remains blissfully unaware of the circumstances of Zurel's conception and the procedure she underwent.
But world events are about to expose Susan's desperate deception. The consequences of the widespread abuse of genetic tinkering in the last ten years are now having an impact on the children who have had their genes altered. A host of unexpected side effects, otherwise known as off-target effects, are being exhibited in these children, including a range of serious illnesses, and some of them have taken their own lives.
People are asking questions about gene therapy, and the explosion of non-medical interventions for those who can afford the price tag to ensure their children are born 'perfect'. The tide is turning, and world-wide protests are just the start of a menacing movement against those who have received genetic interventions. Susan's secret is no longer safe, and her family is in danger...
Eve Smith has the knack for taking a contemporary issue and speculating just how perilous this could become in the near future if events go unchecked. This time, instead of turning her attention to the antibiotic crisis as she did so well in her chilling debut novel The Waiting Rooms, she opens up a whole new Pandora's Box of terrifying themes by exploring the world of gene therapy in Off Target.
Off Target is a cautionary tale, delving into a wealth of dystopian themes around how misguided genetic tinkering can lead to catastrophe. Much of this reminds me of the manner in which Michael Crichton explored how gene splicing could be abused for ill-considered ends in his books, as Smith plays with the 'standing on the shoulders of giants' theme like in Jurassic Park and the controversy surrounding the ownership of genetic material in Next. She asks the same sort of ethical questions - a case of never mind the 'Could we do this?', but rather 'Should we do this?' - weaving these threads into an unsettling thriller that grips your heart with icy fingers.
I think it's fair to say that the majority of characters here are generally unlikeable, and Susan's motives are especially unpalatable, even though she is convinced she is doing the right thing at the time, but Smith uses them all to great effect in this story provoking feelings of anger and loss as you get involved in the nitty gritty of their lives - and my goodness, does she make you examine the blacks, whites and all the shades of grey about gene therapy. I enjoyed how Smith brings in much wider issues in the telling of this tale, touching on aspects such as infertility, the right to parenthood, science vs religion, money, politics, control, and how AI can isolate us from each other. She offers an added thought-provoking dimension by examining how the children affected by genetic treatments might actually think about what has been done to them - something I have not really considered before. The references to Kubrik/Spielberg's movie AI are also cleverly used to enhance the poignancy of Zural's part in the story.
This book is a clear-your-schedule, read in one single sitting affair, because you will not be able to put it down once you begin, and it will leave you with a lot to think about once it spits you out at the end. I cannot wait to see what dystopian nightmare Smith chooses to dissect in her next book!