Off Target by Eve Smith
What if your future was just one modification away?
Critically acclaimed bestseller Eve Smith returns with a terrifying, cautionary glimpse of what the future may hold, with a startlingly thought-provoking blockbuster of a thriller.
In an all-too-possible near future, when genetic engineering has become the norm for humans, 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...
A disturbingly relevant literary thriller with the speculative power of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, and all the tension of a nail-biting medical thriller.
About the author
Eve Smith writes speculative fiction - mainly about the things that scare her – which she attributes to a childhood watching Tales of the Unexpected and black-and-white Edgar Allen Poe double bills. Previously COO of an environmental charity, she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places.
Twitter @evecsmith; Instagram: evesmithauthor; Facebook: EveSmithAuthor and www.evesmithauthor.com.
Review
‘Off Target’ is a highly sophisticated look into the not so distant future - part psychological thriller, part medical drama and in part a philosophical look at modern eugenics. It’s definitely not a book I have read before and it captivated me from the start. It is a piece of writing that will make you evaluate your internal moral compass, question your opinions and make you reflect for days after you finish the last page. You might think that this is science fiction but the reality is that this is all conceivably achievable very shortly. This is not pie in the sky science but real and tangible and that is what makes the chills appear and makes for uncomfortable reading at times. But it is presented in a way that lets the scientifically uninformed grasp the salient points with ease and that mainly comes down to Eve’s phenomenal storytelling. She has created a world that allows the reader to delve into a thriller that has real depth to it.
As someone who suffers from a chronic illness, I inevitably read ‘Off Target’ with a confused standing point. Would I have wanted a life that didn’t involve daily pain and mental struggle? Would I as a mother want to remove the chance of passing this on? I know the answer is yes. But I choose not to have children for partly this reason… but if there were options to remove that factor? Gosh, I don't know. All I know is that I fundamentally believe that eugenics is not a positive movement and like in this book all actions have consequences. Maybe I have read too much into the historical basis of eugenics and the Eugenics Society in the UK, the forced sterilisation of the black and Native American communities in the US and Canada to name but a few instances in history.
It is an emotive topic and one that Eve handles with care and empathy. Her writing has a subtly to it, she presents the facts, the emotions of both the parents and children are carefully constructed so it is left to the reader to decide what is wrong and what is right. For example, should IVF be classed as being right or should nature be allowed to develop on its own? She deals with how the discussion moves on over time - what once was radical is now commonplace. Will we in the future accept genetic tinkering? Medical advice will change and evolve and we as communities will evolve with it. But to what extent and will our humanity be put to the test?
This is a brilliant book and I urge you to read it.
