Archetype
M.D Waters, 2014
Penguin Group (USA)
384 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780525954231
Summary
A breathtakingly inventive futuristic suspense novel about one woman who rebels against everything she is told to believe.
Emma wakes in a hospital, with no memory of what came before. Her husband, Declan, a powerful, seductive man, provides her with new memories, but her dreams contradict his stories, showing her a past life she can’t believe possible: memories of war, of a camp where girls are trained to be wives, of love for another man. Something inside her tells her not to speak of this, but she does not know why. She only knows she is at war with herself.
Suppressing those dreams during daylight hours, Emma lets Declan mold her into a happily married woman and begins to fall in love with him. But the day Noah stands before her, the line between her reality and dreams shatters.
In a future where women are a rare commodity, Emma fights for freedom but is held captive by the love of two men—one her husband, the other her worst enemy. If only she could remember which is which. . . .
The first novel in a two-part series, Archetype heralds the arrival of a truly memorable character—and the talented author who created her. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
M.D. WATERS lives with her family in Maryland. Archetype is her first novel. Its sequel, Prototype, will be published in July 2014. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Emotional involvement powers this absorbing gothic thriller in science fiction trappings.... The novel follows a familiar emotional pattern—a woman’s initial need for safety and love, recognition of betrayal, and painful declaration of independence—but it works better than it should because of debut author Waters’s commitment to Emma’s struggle.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) Waters takes a cliched premise—a woman wakes up with no memories—and transforms it into an original and compelling thriller that takes a look at a possible and terrifying future. Comparisons to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and S.J. Watson's Before I Go To Sleep are justified. —Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.
Library Journal
Waters' debut novel explores a future in which fertile women have devolved into a scarce and precious commodity.... The first few chapters are also a tough read; the author made a deliberate decision to obfuscate Emma's circumstances in order to gin up the tension, and while the story ultimately works, it's difficult to maintain interest early on. Starts slow but eventually picks up steam.
Kirkus Reviews
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