Title: Off Target by Eve Smith
Publisher: Orenda Books
Date Published: 17th December 2021
Genre: Thriller
Description:
An unthinkable decision
A deadly mistake
In an all-too-possible near future, when genetic engineering has become the norm for humans, not just crops, parents are prepared to take incalculable risks to ensure that their babies are perfect … altering genes that may cause illness, and more…
Susan has been trying for a baby for years, and when an impulsive one-night stand makes her dream come true, she'll do anything to keep her daughter and ensure her husband doesn't find out … including the unthinkable. She believes her secret is safe. For now.
But as governments embark on a perilous genetic arms race and children around the globe start experiencing a host of distressing symptoms – even taking their own lives – something truly horrendous is unleashed. Because those children have only one thing in common, and people are starting to ask questions…
Bestselling author of The Waiting Rooms, Eve Smith returns with an authentic, startlingly thought-provoking, disturbing blockbuster of a thriller that provides a chilling glimpse of a future that's just one modification away…
Review:
I want to thank the TBC Reviewer Group and Orenda Book for providing me with a copy of Off Target in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed Eve Smith's debut novel, The Waiting Rooms, so I immediately wanted to read her next book.
Off Target is a realistic psychological thriller with a sci-fi twist, much like her first novel, but this one it centres around pregnancy, IVF and the risks of messing with our genetic makeup.
In the not too distant future, deadly diseases are being eradicated with the help of 'editing'. I mean, who wouldn't want to make sure their child is happy and healthy? Sadly, people take things too far with consequences for everyone.
I really felt for Susan. She so much wants a child and watching her suffer through unexplained infertility was tough to read, her longing and desperate reading comes through in the writing. A one stand leads to a baby, but in order to protect her marriage, she goes to great lengths to stop her secret from coming out. The story fast forwards eleven years and we watch Susan struggle to be a good mother and bond with her daughter Zurel, carrying around her guilt.
This is the kind of book that will make you think. It covers the tough subject of infertility and IVF but also the moral dilemmas around gene editing and whether that sort of thing is ever right.
I feel like this book was a bit of a slow burn, with pretty much all the action happening near the end of the book, which made the ending feel a bit rushed, but of course that's my opinion.
If you're looking for a character driven novel about moral dilemmas that will give you plenty to think about afterwards, then I would highly recommend Off Target to you.
About The Author:
Longlisted for the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize and described by British bookshop chain Waterstones as: "an exciting new voice in crime fiction", Eve Smith's debut novel The Waiting Rooms was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award and was selected as a book of the month in The Guardian just after launch.
"Smith combines the excitement of a medical thriller à la Michael Crichton with sensitive characterisation and social insight in a timely debut novel all the more remarkable for being conceived and written before the current pandemic."
Her new thriller, Off Target, is another chilling, prophetic page-turner set in a near future, when genetic engineering has become the norm for humans, not just crops, and parents are prepared to take incalculable risks to ensure their babies are perfect.
The Times picked it as one of their books of the month, describing it as "an astute, well-researched and convincing novel of ideas".
Eve writes speculative fiction, mainly about the things that scare her. In this world of questionable facts, stats and news, she believes storytelling is more important than ever to engage people in real life issues.
She attributes her love of all things dark and dystopian to a childhood watching Tales of the Unexpected and black-and-white Edgar Allen Poe double bills.
Eve's previous job as COO of an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places.
When she's not writing, she's chasing across fields after her dog, attempting to organise herself and her family or off exploring somewhere new.
Find out more at http://www.evesmithauthor.com
Follow Eve: @evecsmith on Twitter, EveSmithAuthor on FB & Instagram
No comments:
Post a Comment