Preamble
If you’re interested in reading my academic work about detective and crime fiction (free PDFs available), check it out here. Or you can take a look at my short story collection of cosy mysteries featuring Victorian “lady detective” Meinir Davies; order now!
Review
I read this at the start of 2024 but am trying to catch up on some historic reviews. So, here we go!
As a part-sci-fi, part-psychological-thriller, I was drawn to the concept of this book and am grateful to have read it as an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley. I definitely enjoyed the concept and some of the writing in this novel, especially the repeated text as Iris describes what she knows about her life story, which builds as the novel develops, and which I thought was a nice feature. There was good tension in the first half of the novel, where Iris is at her least aware and most vulnerable, and good set-up of a mystery.
However, overall it feels like this novel runs on fairly well-worn tracks set by previous novels and films that cover AI intelligence, people with lost memories, etc. I think I was particularly struck by the predictability of how the mystery unfolded — who had left her the notes? what does her husband know? who is Dorian? who is Teo? I wasn’t surprised to discover that Iris was, herself, a ‘baddie’, or that the secret behind the forbidden wall related to a lost child. I found the central concept — that, when they are given the chance to start again with different information, people make different choices — interesting, but the techno-pessimism fairly predictable, especially given the menace of Ariel early on.
See also
These lists capture other stories and characters that I thought of as I was reading this piece. I won’t explain why, to avoid spoilers, but they’re associations and not ‘if you liked this, then you’ll love…’ recommendations!
- Ex Machina (film)
- The Silent Patient (Alex Michaelides)
- Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
Take a look at my short story collection featuring Victorian “lady detective” Meinir Davies; order now!
Dominique Gracia 
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