Publisher:
Bodley Head
Release
Date: 27th
March 2014
Edition:
e-proof,
review copy
The
moving, gripping and stunningly written first novel for young adults by
award-winning author, Matt Haig.
Audrey’s
father taught her that to stay human in the modern world, she had to build a
moat around herself; a moat of books and music, philosophy and dreams. A moat
that makes Audrey different from the echoes: sophisticated, emotionless
machines, built to resemble humans and work for human masters.
Daniel
is an echo – but he’s not like the others. He feels a connection with Audrey; a
feeling Daniel knows he was never designed to have, and cannot explain. And
when Audrey is placed in terrible danger, he’s determined to save her.
Echo Boy is a powerful story about love, loss and what makes us human.
Echo
Boy is Matt Haig’s
first foray into the world of YA and he’s started with a unique and thought-provoking
story of love and loss.
Audrey lives in the England of
2115 where transport is hyper-speed (London to LA in an hour!), genetic
engineering has gone crazy and robots and Echos are in every home. I love this
world; it’s scary and clever and worryingly believable. In just 100 years from
now, our planet has been plagued with wars over fuel, climate change so extreme
that Northern Europe is mostly flooded and Southern Europe is blistering desert
and advances in technology so unnatural they are causing riots and protests
daily. Often on the receiving end of these protests is Alex Castle: millionaire
businessman and Audrey’s uncle.
He’s a hard character to pin
down and from I struggled to make my mind up about him for a good while after
Audrey had gone to live with him. I eventually decided that he makes my skin
crawl. As the creator of some of the most advanced technology out there and the
owner and designer of the Resurrection Zone, I was definitely on the side of
the protestors. A place where extinct animals such as tigers, woolly mammoths,
dodos and Yangtze dolphins have been genetically engineered back in being and
put on show. And disgusting show it is: tortured into making a scene and
hurting their keepers – unwanted Echos – to get an audience and hide the sounds
of the protesters. It made me feel sick.
But over the top of everything
in this world and all of the things that Audrey and Daniel are dealing with is
the question of what it is to be human. I love the idea that no matter what
happens to us and how we and our world will change; we’ll always be asking the
same questions. Our big questions will be our great-grandchildren’s big
questions and their great-grandchildren’s big questions. And that the answer to
a lot of them will always be love.
As always, Matt Haig has drawn
a gorgeous portrait of humanity and love in Echo
Boy. His books never fail to make me think.
Thanks to RHCP and NetGalley
for the review copy.
Sophie
I wasn't sure if this would be my kind of thing before I read this review - but you've completely convinced me. I'll be trying it soon! :)
ReplyDeleteI started reading this recently and was really enjoying it. I was distracted by other shiny new books but really must get back to this one and finish it. Thanks for the reminder :)
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