27 February 2021 | New Scientist | 29Book
The Echo Wife
Sarah Gailey
Hodder & Stoughton
LOVE, death and human cloning
have never been brought together
so well as they are in The Echo Wife,
a fast-paced thriller that is as funny
as it is thought-provoking.
The book is set in a reality where
human adults can be grown in a
lab and then manipulated to think
and act in a certain way. In their
debut science-fiction novel, Hugo
award-winning author Sarah Gailey
takes us on a journey unlike those
in their fantasy and alternative
historical fiction, but one that
retains its intensity and intrigue.
The complexity of the characters
adds to the sense of unease
throughout the novel, leaving the
reader questioning who to trust.
The story centres on Evelyn Caldwell,
a developmental biologist whose
cutting edge research into adult
cloning comes at a cost. She finds
that her husband (also a scientist)
is having an affair – with her clone,
Martine. And when Martine leaves
an urgent message asking to meet,
things take an unexpected turn.
The book is full of such twists
as the lives of Evelyn and Martine
become deeply intertwined.
We see glimpses into the failing
relationship between Evelyn and
her husband, and snapshots of
his more ideal life with Martine.
From the start, Gailey adds
emotional depth, forcing us to ask
ourselves how we would feel if a
loved one opted for a version of us
they had designed to be “perfect”.
Details of Evelyn’s childhood add
extra layers to a character already
struggling with thoughts of
being unloved, unappreciated
and literally replaceable.
The science and technology in
the book isn’t too far-fetched – it is
possible to create cloned embryos
from adult human cells – but in
reality it is harder and takes far
longer. Instead of using an embryo
and surrogate, as with Dolly the
sheep, Evelyn works with large
tanks holding the nutrients needed
for a growing clone. The embryology
of cloning is slightly glossed over,
but Gailey adds enough detail about
Evelyn’s work to make the science
seem believable.
One of the most interesting
aspects of cloning, both in the
book and in the real world, is
the ethics behind the technology.
Martine reminds us that there
is a risk of it being misused.
Novel neural programming that
can affect personality has also been
developed in the world in which the
novel is set, which accounts for the
main distinction between the two
women: Martine is more obedient
and passive than Evelyn. She also
has different wants and needs. Sheis Evelyn – but a little altered. In a
Blade Runner-esque style, Gailey
asks us to consider whether clones
are just as human as us by showing
Martine growing, learning and
questioning her own existence.
Clearly, the idea of programming
a brain to think a certain way is
a stretch. Although we can grow
mini brains in a lab, manipulating
a developing brain is unlikely to
be effective, or possible, in reality.
But this aspect of the story is
used more as a device to expose
the twisted motivations of the
characters and to raise issues
about the purpose of cloning.
As well as having a fascinating
storyline, the book gives us realistic
insights into the pressures of being
a female scientist: how research has
to be fought for and how women in
science must have impossibly thick
skin. Overall, The Echo Wife is an
emotionally driven novel that leaves
us both hopeful and afraid of the
potential of cloning technology. ❚The lives of biologist Evelyn
and Martine, her more
obedient clone, intertwine
Robyn Chowdhury is a writer based
in Sheffield, UK, who is interested
in pop culture and social justiceGEORGE
PETE
RS/GETT
Y^ IMAG
ESCloning makes perfect
A darkly funny sci-fi story explores how an “improved” version
of yourself affects your relationships, says Robyn Chowdhury
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