Set in the not-too-distant future, this story introduces the reader to a slightly different world and explores the nature and extent of genetic engineering. The story gently introduces the reader to the trials and tribulations in the life of central character, Talissa. At a crossroads in her career and in need of funds, she decides to take a year out to become a surrogate mother for a childless couple, Alaric and Mary. She applies to an eminent institute where in vitro fertilisation is available for anyone with enough cash. The Institute is also part of a wider organisation that undertakes research and genetic engineering.
The action then shifts to a conversation between Lukas Parn – a wealthy scientist and owner of the institute and research labs that Talissa will use – and one of his colleagues in the same field. And it is at this very early point in the story that a seemingly innocent remark foreshadows the catalogue of sinister events that will follow. ‘I want to do an experiment,’ says Parn. ‘I want to prove something.’ From here onwards, the tension gradually begins to build. I found that I could not put this book down.
The narrative, as easily readable as it is, flows really well with a constant backdrop of ever-increasing fear for Talissa and the child she is carrying and for the parents who will adopt that child – Seth, a name that is full of meaning in the context of the story, which I will explore in a following paragraph. Once Seth is born and delivered to his eagerly awaiting parents, he becomes yet another source of concern for the reader. Wanting to know what happened to Seth kept me turning the page, to the extent that I read the final two-thirds of the book in one day.
As the child was born and named, I could not help but wonder why he was called Seth. It seemed such an odd choice for the parents to make, and yes, there is a veiled justification in the text. But when you consider the Hebrew origins of the name - which means 'appointed', 'placed', or 'put' – you understand that the choice is not random at all. Add in the ancient Egyptian root – Set, the god of desert storms and chaos – and yet another facet of Seth's character is amplified. Looking at the biblical connections gives us yet more. Seth was a replacement son for Adam and Eve after Abel died. According to biblical genealogy, he was an ancestor of Noah, thereby placing him in a unique position in relation to the story of the ark and the saving of humanity from the floods. Whilst I fully understand that the stories in the Bible are just that – an explanation of who and what we were at that time stated in the language and manner of the time – I cannot help but see the parallels between the story of creation and our current capability for genetic engineering. In many respects, that realisation makes this book one of the most chilling I have ever read.
Towards the end of the story, there is yet another dilemma for the reader, and the ending was not what I was expecting. This is a disturbing, thought-provoking, but excellent read that fully deserves the five-star rating I have awarded.
If you enjoyed this review you may be interested in my thoughts about Snow Country Paris Echo both by Faulks, or Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh...
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