Jenny’s Pick of the Week: The Merge

How far would you go to save a loved one? For this mother and daughter pair, the limit does not exist. Grace Walker’s debut novel, The Merge, is a thought-provoking story that examines the meaning of self-sacrifice, the power of love, and the importance of human autonomy. 

Amelia is only 23 years old when her mother Laurie is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and while Laurie is coming to terms with her illness, Amelia is desperate to find a cure. That’s where a process called merging comes in; a process in which Laurie’s fractured mind will be transferred into Amelia’s healthy body—blending their consciousness as one. Once a passionate activist against the Merge, Amelia decides it’s the only way to cure her mother and, without much input from Laurie, signs them up to take part in the world’s first experimental merge for Alzheimer’s patients.

They join a group of patients signed up to undergo similar experimental merges—a father trying to save his daughter from addiction, a teenage boy trying to save his brother from cancer, and a married couple hoping to save their baby. Very little is known about cases like these. Will merging cure Laurie’s Alzheimer’s or will it transfer to Amelia and infect the new consciousness of Laurie-Amelia? Theories on the outcome are hopeful, but nothing is guaranteed, and what results is a haunting, psychological, sci-fi thriller.  

I was immediately pulled into the ethical dilemmas that each pair were up against. That being said, it was a slow start as we got to know the characters. But once the halfway point hits, a twist is revealed that changes everything you thought you knew. While savvy readers will have suspected something was amiss, it turns out there were far more sinister things going on below the surface than I could have guessed. 

If you enjoy dark science fiction steeped in ethical complexity like Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and The One by John Marrs, this will be a memorable read for you.

Photo by Christianne Risman