The Merge - by Grace Walker (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A thrilling and ominously prophetic debut set in a world when Earth and its resources have been pushed to breaking point, giving rise to a revolutionary--and highly controversial--procedure in which two people's consciousness can be combined to exist in one body.

How far would you go to never say goodbye?

Laurie is sixty-five and living with Alzheimer's. Her daughter Amelia, a once fiery and strong-willed activist, can't bear to see her mother's mind fade. Faced with the reality of losing her forever, Amelia signs them up to take part in the world's first experimental merging process for Alzheimer's patients, in which Laurie's ailing mind will be transferred into Amelia's healthy body and their consciousness will be blended as one.

Soon Amelia and Laurie join the opaque and mysterious group of other merge participants: teenage Lucas, who plans to merge with his terminally ill brother Noah; Ben, who will merge with his pregnant fiancée Annie; and Jay, whose merging partner is his addict daughter Lara. As they prepare to move to The Village, a luxurious rehabilitation center for those who have merged, they quickly begin to question whether everything is really as it seems.

An exhilarating, immersive debut from an astonishing new voice, The Merge is a personal story of love, family, and sacrifice, as well as a thought-provoking examination of the limits of control, resistance, and freedom in our modern world.

Review Quotes

"Impressive... Walker effectively blends climate dystopia and body horror, especially in the novel's chilling final twist."
--Publishers Weekly

A compelling and disturbing story of love and sacrifice, control and resistance.
--The Guardian

"Grace Walker takes a clever speculative premise, and creates a dystopian world that feels frighteningly plausible; filled with compelling characters struggling to come to terms with the new reality. Terrifying and fascinating."
--Guy Morpuss, author of Five Minds

"A heart-wrenching exploration of the struggle for autonomy amidst dwindling resources, The Merge perfectly captures a modern world obsessed with controversial solutions for problems it has created. Grace Walker depicts all too clearly the impossibility of aging with dignity in a society that doesn't value life, and I was riveted from the first page to the last."
--Ling Ling Huang, author of Immaculate Conception and Natural Beauty

"A future classic of the genre...Walker creates an uncanny world so rich and all-encompassing that it's hard to believe it's not real. The Merge lures you in, hurtling towards a conclusion that I could hardly bear to look at - but couldn't pull myself away from. This is propulsive, deeply satisfying novel, weaving slivers of hope with the terrifying setting of a near-future sci-fi. A tender display of the difficult love between mother and daughter, set against a moral and ethical dilemma: is it better to prolong a life unnaturally, or learn to let go?'
--Jodie Matthews, author of Meet Me At The Surface

"An arresting, deeply imaginative debut. The Merge is both a gripping speculative drama and a moving meditation on memory, family and control. Grace Walker also asks what we're willing to surrender for those we love and her questions linger long after the final page."
--Freya Bromley, author of The Tidal Year

"Chilling, claustrophobic and deeply unsettling, The Merge is a brilliant, unforgettable exploration of memory, control and freedom."
--Carole Hailey, author of The Silent Project

"I read The Merge in one frenzied weekend, with sweaty palms, almost as though it were a news article with a shocking headline. The characters are all so real and fully formed, they could be my neighbours and friends. Walker has a frighteningly good imagination, but the most frightening thing of all is that the world she's created doesn't feel all that outlandish... This is a story that will stay withme. Timely, important, and beautifully written."
--Silvia Saunders, author of Homesick

"An innovative and absorbing genre book with an exhilarating pace and world-building. This is going to be a longstanding book club for sci-fi fans."
--Debutiful

"Disturbingly believable and oddly intriguing...An innovative dystopia that offers a fascinating look at how science, social control, and information manipulation intersect in a totalitarian future."
--Library Journal

"An inventive exploration of climate change, class disparity, corporate influence, and biotech "enhancement"....An excellent addition to the growing catalog of 21st-century dystopian nightmares."
--Kirkus Reviews