Book Review- Sarah Gailey's The Echo Wife

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with a free copy of Sarah Gailey’s novel, The Echo Wife, in exchange for an honest review.

Evelyn, a scientist who is a pioneer in the field of cloning, is married to her job. Her dedication and singular focus is so fierce, that she is blindsided when her husband, Nathan, asks for a divorce. Soon after they begin to live separate lives, Evelyn discovers that Nathan, a fellow, albeit somewhat lazy scientist, has been stealing Evelyn’s work for very personal reasons. Nathan has created, Martine, a clone of Evelyn.

Even more shocking, Martine is pregnant, giving Nathan the one thing that Evelyn denied him; a baby. Theoretically, Martine’s pregnancy should be impossible and morally, it is dubious, as Nathan programed Martine to both be compliant and to have strong desires for a baby. Should a clone have the same rights as humans, and if so, does this pregnancy violate Martine’s rights?

The existence of Martine threatens to damage Evelyn’s credibility and research funding. The threat level is dramatically increased when Martine calls Evelyn in desperation, asking for help that only Evelyn can provide. When Evelyn and Martine connect, they begin to unravel the depth of Nathan’s deceit and Evelyn begins to question what it means to be human.

I throughly enjoyed The Echo Wife. Admittedly, early on, I thought, “Oh, I know where this story is going,” but I couldn't have been more wrong. It’s surprising and fresh. Set in the near future, the plot has shades of West World, Black Mirror, The Stepford Wives, Frankenstein, and Ex Machina.

The story is sharp and fast-paced like a thriller, yet it is dotted with questions that make you consider what it means to be human or what is the morality of creating a life? Is a clone life the same as human life and do clones have agency? Should they have agency? When Evelyn is confronted with interacting with a clone in a real world setting, she has difficulty in seeing her life’s work as just science experiments. She is surprised by how Martine interacts with the world, sometimes against her programing.

Gailey’s characters are engaging, especially Evelyn, as The Echo Wife is told from her first-person perspective. Gailey does an excellent job at scene setting, in particular the laboratory scenes where she is describing the process of creating a clone. Several scenes in The Echo Wife are quite graphic and hard to stomach, but they are not gratuitous. They serve to build the greater story and play into the theme of humanity.

I was also surprised to discover that The Echo Wife is a kick-ass feminist story. Evelyn and Martine are strong women. Martine was created to be a sweet, “Stepford Wife” for Nathan, but that is certainly not where she views her destiny. Evelyn, as strong as she is in many ways, also admits a prior weakness for Nathan and a jealousy towards Martine. The arc of the story sees her handling these emotions and learning what it means to be both a better scientist and a better person.

I can’t praise The Echo Wife enough. Gailey is a “new to me” author and I look forward to reading her other books!

Book Review- Suleika Jaouad's Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a free copy of Suleika Jaouad’s Between Two Kingdom’s: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted, in exchange for an honest review.

During her final year of college, Suleika Jaouad began to experience itchy skin and extreme fatigue. She pushed through, graduated, and headed off to begin her adult life in Paris, where she fell in love with a handsome man named Will.

Just a few months into their relationship, Jaouad’s symptoms worsened and she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. Within days, Jaouad would leave Paris to be with her family in New York and shortly, Will would also follow her, putting his life on a temporary hold to support his new girlfriend.

At the time of her diagnosis, Jaouad and her loved ones had no idea that the next four years would be a roller coaster of chemo, extended hospital stays, dangerous complications and the imminent possibility of Jaoud not surviving. They did not imagine the toll it would take on their lives, both from a patient and caretaker’s perspective. They also couldn't have imagined the rich and diverse new relationships that would enter their lives or how living at the edge of mortality would dramatically alter their perspectives.

Between Two Kingdoms is a force of a memoir. Jaouad does not hold back from sharing her raw emotions, even when those emotions are messy, such as trying to unpack her break-up with Will, who stood by her side during her treatment. Jaouad acknowledges that caretaker’s need breaks and that Will does need to live his own life, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy for her to accept. When she is stuck in a hospital bed or sick at home, the jealousy of Will attempting to have experiences of a normal 20-something, threatens their relationship. Fairness is irrelevant.

Jaouad’s “warts and all” approach to her storytelling is what attracted me to her writing. It also made me reflect on my own life, especially when I was a caretaker for family members with health issues, including cancer. When my mom was dying of cancer, her personality shifted dramatically and we had some epic fights. We rarely fought when she was healthy and had a close bond. I was a wreck, having no idea how to process my mom’s terminal diagnosis coupled with this change in her behavior. After reading Jaouad’s memoir, I have a new perspective on the events. Between Two Kingdoms is a must-read for caregivers. It’s not easy and you will cry, I guarantee it, but it will give you a perspective that your loved one might not be able to articulate.

The second half of Between Two Kingdoms turns hopeful. Jaouad might never live without the threat of her cancer returning or needing to be cautious with her compromised immune system, however, her life does return to a sense of normal. Initially, this transition is jarring. Cancer has dramatically changed her priorities or what she thought her life should be. She has lost many friends to cancer, so many relationships cut short. She is grieving for many things and reeling from her break-up with Will. However, while processing her grief, Jaouad starts taking steps to reclaim her life.

She begins to date a childhood friend, Jon Batiste, a musician who would go on to earn fame and acclaim as the musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Initially, Jaouad is resistant to forming new relationships, but after embarking on a hundred day cross-country road trip to meet people who connected with her during her treatment, Jaouad begins to drop her walls and chooses to embrace life. She is living fearlessly: camping for the first time, traveling on her own, driving thousands of miles after getting her license for the first time…Jaouad embraces her fears and is an inspiration.

Between Two Kingdoms is a powerful memoir that should be added to your TBR list. Jaouad’s story has left me feeling changed. I feel more attuned to the ordinary aspects of living and I have an urgency to strengthen my relationships. Along with this year of Covid, I feel like Between Two Kingdoms is a reminder to appreciate and embrace life.

Jane Austen's Chawton House

In 2019, I was able to fulfill one of my bucket-list destinations, a trip to famed author Jane Austen’s former home in Chawton Hampshire. It was a bittersweet experience, as it occurred during an emergency trip to England because of the passing of my mother-in-law. Extra bittersweet, because on the previous visit, I had made plans with my mother-in-law to tour some of the Jane Austen locations together, specifically in Bath, but she had not felt well enough to make the trip. I connected with my mother-in-law over many things, including a shared love of books, so she would have been the perfect companion for the Jane Austen sites.

Noticing that we were near Chawton after visiting relatives, my husband kindly offered to make a detour to visit Jane Austen’s Chawton House. We were feeling blue with grief, but it was a nice distraction to tour this lovely and historic home. We also visited on a quiet weekday afternoon and practically had the entire museum to ourselves, which is always nice when visiting tourist destinations.

Jane Austen’s Chawton House is part of the “Jane Austen Trail,” a collection of buildings in the village of Chawton that were significant in Austen’s time. We only had time to visit her home, where the writer lived with her mother and sister from 1809-1817. At Chawton House, Austen wrote many of her beloved novels, including Emma, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park. She also completed drafts of Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, and my personal favorite, Sense and Sensibility. She was very prolific during her short time in Chawton. Austen grew ill and died in the town of Winchester, where she is buried, in the summer of 1817.

We visited in the spring of 2019, but current admission prices as of April 2021 are ten pounds for adults and a very long list of discounted prices for a variety of situations. I was quite surprised by the list, as it had some nice and unusual accommodations for visitors. Check it out. Also to note, the museum currently appears to be closed due to covid restrictions, hopefully to reopening in the near future.

We couldn’t find Marmite!

We started in the carriage house to see the donkey carriage and the adorable wicker birds.

Next, we headed inside to see the kitchen. Built in the late 1700’s, the house was originally a pub before being transformed into a private residence. The kitchen gives a glimpse into food preparation of the past and even if you’re not at all interested in Austen’s life, it is a fascinating look at a historic property.

To really get in the mood, we discovered a bunch of regency era costumes to play dress-up. I think the hat rather suits my dashing husband!

Heading to the living room we found antique furniture, letters, and other possessions belonging to Austen.

The most exciting artifact in the museum was Austen’s writing desk. I should never complain about the many plush options and multiple desks in which I have at my disposal to work on my novel. Maybe discomfort is the key to getting the job done?

The library contains various editions of Austen’s works.

This is the bedroom that Austen shared with her sister, Cassandra.

Austen’s two story house was relatively modest in size, but it was filled with artifacts. We spent about an hour visiting. Here are more pictures from the museum.

I don’t have a green thumb and I don’t enjoy gardening, but I do love admiring a stunning garden. Austen’s garden was filled with brightly colored spring blooms. I grew up in the California desert, so English gardens are quite magical to me. My sister-in-law is a landscape designer and her garden is magnificent. It is one of my favorite places in England, especially to spend time with family on a warm summer day and having cocktails. She is also talented in the cocktail making department!

After leaving the museum, we took some pictures of the Chawton village. Chawton is the quintessential English village that Americans imagine when they think of England outside of London. Some of the homes were even sporting thatched roofs.

Jane Austen’s Chawton House is a must-do pilgrimage for Austen fans. As a huge fan, who has read all of her novels multiple times, seen every film version, a few plays, et…being there gave me chills. That said, it’s a bit off-the-beaten-path for non-British tourists. It’s about an hour south of London and difficult to access unless you hire a car. I highly recommend a visit if you are able. I’ve been to many places in England, but the Jane Austen Chawton House was a favorite experience.