Title: The Echo Wife

Author: Sarah Gailey

Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 18th February 2021

Rating: 4.5/5

Cover:

Summary:

It was meant to be an evening to honour and celebrate Evelyn Caldwell’s award-winning, career-making scientific research – but Evelyn has things on her mind.

Things like Nathan, her husband, who has left her for a younger, better, newer woman. A woman who is now pregnant – but shouldn’t be – and is strikingly familiar. Too familiar to be a coincidence.

A woman who shouldn’t exist.

Review:

I didn’t really know what to expect with The Echo Wife but I was so intrigued by the mysterious premise and I’m pleased to say this book turned out to be a seriously brilliant read. Usually I would outline the story a little at this point but I think knowing too much upfront would impact the way the reader experiences this strange and fascinating book. So, all I will say is the story follows revered scientist Evelyn Caldwell whose husband has recently left her for a younger and ‘better’ woman. However, let’s just say things are not quite as straightforward as they sound.

I loved this book – it is so original and crazy in the best way possible with an almost surreal quality I enjoyed so much. I can say without hesitation I have never read anything like it before. The Echo Wife brings up so many different issues and subjects which provoke such fascinating moral and ethical questions. It covers self-identity, consent, agency and what it means to be human in such an effective way. Gailey writes with a sharpness and an intelligence which skewers these complex quandaries in the most thought provoking manner. Evelyn is one of those characters that is not always easy to like – she is rather spiky and often cold but also intelligent and has such an interesting mind to follow the thought process of. This slim novel also contains a multitude of atmosphere. There’s a kind of quiet tension bubbling under the surface throughout that makes it feel like a horror movie in a sense. I really don’t want to give anything away so I will end my review here but seriously – you don’t want to miss this intense, compelling and razor sharp story with a thrilling undercurrent of darkness. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.