Off Target by Eve Smith

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Off Target, a chilling look at a possible near future. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for my invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

 

The Blurb

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. Off Target comes from Orenda Books and was published on 17th February 2022.

My Review

Off Target is Eve Smith's second book, following her 2020 debut, The Waiting Rooms. Like that one, this book is set in the near future.but unlike The Waiting Rooms, which focused more on later life, Off Target talks about birth, or more accurately pre birth, and, for me at least, this makes it all the more chilling. And the knowledge that it talks about scary science that could feasibly happen in the not too distant future, we're not that far off now. Terrifying. 

Susan is happily married to Steve but they have, thus far, been unable to conceive, even though there appears to be no medical issues. Susan wants to try IVF but, due to his experiences in his first marriage, Steve is adamant they should keep trying to conceive naturally. Their lives are ruled by Susan's cycle, working out when she's at her most fertile and making sure they give the themselves the best chance for a baby. An impulsive night out ends with her getting pregnant and a test shows that Steve cannot be the father. Desperate to keep the baby, but also keep her secret safe, she travels abroad for a risky procedure she believes will help her do that. In a second timeline, we jump forward and meet daughter Zurel who is approaching her teenage years. She's struggling, she hates the regular tests she has to have and has become an elective mute. The only person she feels really comfortable with is the school guidance teacher...

Wow, where to start? So much to unpack in this fascinating novel. Already, we see babies screened in the womb for certain conditions. In Off Target we see them screened for everything, including depression and excessive alcohol consumption. And, at a price, a solution is possible, with just a couple of DNA samples needed. But it isn't clear what the long term effects on these children might be. However,a lot of people are going for these procedures, in the hope of getting a perfect, happy child. Unassisted, natural conceptions, pregnancies and births are almost unheard of. 

I'm not really sure what I thought of Susan. As a mother myself, I understood her desperation to have a child and her frustration at Steve when he won't even consider IVF (personally, I just wanted to shake him!). I even understand her need for a carefree, drunken night out. But I struggled with her decisions from them on. And that's the point of the book, I think - to raise moral issues and questions, open up discussions. It's easy for me or any of us to say 'I would never do that' but, actually, given the science and the  opportunity, would it be such a clear cut decision? But Susan's decisions have an impact on Zurel, and others, and it was really interesting to unpack all of that. 

There is a lot of science in the book, which seems to be very well researched. It's heavy stuff but presented in such a way that it weaves into the story and so doesn't ever become too overwhelming. What frightens me is that we really might not be that far away from this kind of science, and all the questions and debates that that will bring. And outrage too, probably. I loved that in the book we saw two sides of the argument, not everyone agrees with Susan and others like her. So we see angry demonstrations and rallies, similar to ones we saw against abortion not so long ago. As a reader, it was great to be presented with both sides of the argument, much food for thought. 

It's easy to forget that at the centre of all of it is a child, but Zurel's chapters brought that sharply back into focus. My heart just ached for her as I felt her struggles, her upset, her confusion. And she has so much to deal with, so much, at such a young age. 

Off Target is one of those books you just need to read. As well as being a cracking, edge of your seat story, it also asks big, big questions. What would you do to have a child? How far would you go to hide a mistake? How long can you keep a secret? It makes you question what you think you know, what moral and ethical choices you would make. Whilst this is a work of  fiction, the science discussed is probably not that far away which is both amazing and terrifying. The story made me feel uneasy at times because what's being discussed is so huge, and feels so real, but it never takes away from the pace and tension. I have been thinking about it a lot since I finished it and would highly recommend it to you. Bravo Eve Smith. 

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.

 

Author Social Media Links

Twitter: @evecsmith
Instagram: evesmithauthor
Facebook: EveSmithAuthor
Website: www.evesmithauthor.com.