The After Wife by Cass Hunter #blogtour

I am really delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for this brilliant book - I was pretty wrung out by the time I finished it, and haven't stopped thinking about it since. Before I tell you my thoughts, here's a bit about the book.

The Blurb:

A surprising and emotional story starring an unforgettable heroine, for fans of Together, The Summer of Impossible Things and The Time Traveler's Wife.

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.

The After Wife was published by Trapeze on 22nd March 2018.

You can buy it from Waterstones, Amazon and other good bookshops.

My Review:

Oh gosh, what a book! I'm not sure where to start. This is not my usual kind of read, but I was intrigued by the blurb. I wasn't disappointed but it fair put me through the emotional wringer!

Rachel is a gifted scientist working, with her socially awkward lab partner Luke,  on a secret AI project when she dies suddenly. Her husband and daughter Chloe have to confront their loss, but Rachel has put something in place which she thinks will help them - iRachel. But it must be kept absolutely secret, which is made difficult by Aidan's mother coming to stay, and the curiosity of Chloe's friends.

Artificial intelligence fascinates and terrifies me in equal measure. The scientific leaps we have made are amazing, but the fact that we live in a time where the development of something similar to iRachel is not far off is downright scary.

Initially, I thought Rachel to be very selfish, both in life and death. Many of the decisions she made had a negative impact on her family, and she used emotional blackmail to put her plans in place following her death. She forced Aidan and Luke, who have an obvious dislike of each other to work together. I thought her plan might prolong the grieving process for Aidan and Chloe. And I can't imagine the pressure of keeping such a huge secret!

Each chapter is written from the point of view of one of the main players - Aidan, Chloe, Luke, Aidan' s mother Sinead and iRachel. Their grief, confusion, frustration and anger are exquisitely described - I was close to tears several times. And as iRachel revealed things about her creator, my opinion of Rachel began to change.

Aidan and Chloe are initially mistrusting and wary of iRachel, but we see them warming to her, and this is brilliantly and carefully written. But for me, the best character is iRachel. We see her growing, evolving, learning, almost like a child. She begins to feel things that she doesn't expect it understand, and it's beautiful to read. Her interactions with Sinead are particularly affecting.

The ending hit me way harder than I thought it would - in fact it completely undid me and I sobbed. But I would have liked it to finish there, without the last two or three pages, but I completely got why they were there.

This book defies categorisation. It's part sci fi, part love story, part family drama. It's about love, loss, grief, friendship and hope. But for me, it's about what it means to be human, and to be accepted. This is an outstanding book which will stay with you long after it's finished, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Thank you to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to join the tour, and to the author  and publisher for my review copy.

The Author:

Cass Hunter was born in South Africa and moved to the UK in 2000. She lives in North London with her husband and two sons. She is an avid lifelong learner, and works at a London university. Cass Hunter is the pen name of Rosie Fiore, whose novels include After Isabella, What She Left, Babies in Waiting and Wonder Women.