The After Wife by Cass Hunter

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for The After Wife by Cass Hunter. The After Wife was published by Trapeze Books on 6th September 2018. Read on for my review...

The After Wife
By Cass Hunter
Published by Trapeze Books (6 September 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

 

Publisher's description

When Rachel and Aidan fell in love, they thought it was forever.

She was a brilliant, high-flying scientist. He was her loving and supportive husband.

Now she's gone, and Aidan must carry on and raise their daughter alone.

But Rachel has left behind her life's work, a gift of love to see them through the dark days after her death.

A gift called iRachel.

My verdict
The After Wife is a bittersweet novel about humanity, identity, love and grief - and I loved it.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, as I hadn't actually read the blurb, but sometimes it's better to dive in without any preconceptions. It didn't take long to immerse myself into the lives of Rachel, Aidan and Chloe - ordinary lives that became so extraordinary when tragedy struck. I found myself whizzing through the pages, following the family's emotional journey as iRachel became part of the household.

Beautifully written, this is a compelling and unique story with a modern twist - a well-crafted book that made me laugh, cry and think about the meaning of life. Despite being set in a slightly more technologically-advanced future, it all seemed very credible and believable, and the science was written seamlessly into the story. I was drawn to the contrast between iRachel, learning how to be independent, create memories and live as a human, and Aidan's mother, Sinead, whose dementia was slowly taking away her own memories, humanity and independence.

The After Wife is a thought-provoking read - a book that creates more questions than it answers. I've recently been watching the TV series Westworld, which also has humanoid robots at its heart and had already prompted so many questions. What makes us human? What gives us our unique identity? What makes us able to love those around us? Can we truly learn to experience emotion? How much do our memories and life experiences shape us?

I knew that however it ended, The After Wife would bring tears to my eyes. And it certainly did, along with a lump in my throat.

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