Description
Book SynopsisWhen you wake up without your memories, who can you really trust? Pioneering scientist Iris Henderson chose to be her own first test-subject for an experimental therapy, placing a piece of technology into her brain. At least, this is what everyone tells her. Trouble is, Iris is now without her memories so she doesn't know what the therapy is or why she would ever decide to volunteer for it. Everyone warns her to leave it alone, but Iris doesn't know who to trust. As she scratches beneath the surface of her seemingly happy marriage and successful career, a catastrophic chain of events is set in motion. Secrets will be revealed that have the capacity to destroy her whole life, but Iris can't stop digging.
Trade Review"A twisty psychological thriller that plays on our current fears about AI as well as ideas about memory, trauma and the self."
– The Guardian "McIlroy’s sharp sci-fi thriller debut is one part
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and two parts
Black Mirror... raising salient questions about the ethics of AI. This will keep readers up late."
– Publishers Weekly"
Stepford Wives meets
2001 Space Odyssey,
The Glass Woman is a twisty, thought-provoking read with characters full of heart engaging with the debate around AI in a truly inventive and original way."
– Chris MacDonald, author of
Happily Every After and
The Actor"A successful example of the genre with a chilling modern feel."
– The Critic"
The Glass Woman is that too-rare a beast – an urgent thriller with solid intellectual underpinning."
– Shots Magazine"Completely absorbing, I haven’t been able to put it down."
– Sarah Ward, author of
The Birthday Girl and
The Sixth Lie"Raises fascinating questions about consciousness and its relation to objective and subjective reality."
– The Irish Times“Right from the opening chapter, where the narrator wakes up with no memory of who she is,
The Glass Woman instantly hooks you with a timely take on the rise of AI, and burrows under your skin. It manages to be both a deliciously creepy and mysterious thriller and also a thought-provoking meditation on identity and memory. Hugely entertaining and relentlessly readable.”
– Alex Michaelides, bestselling author of
The Silent Patient “The boundary-breaking psychological thriller I’ve been waiting for.”
– Sarah May, author of
Becky "I found
The Glass Woman a chilling and urgent voice in ongoing debate about AI influence on human life. This novel gets to the essence of the threat; it's not about robots taking over human jobs but the human mind, being in control of human self. Ariel's voice is a rare and excellently executed second person narration."
– Ania Bas, author of
Odd Hours"More than simply a psychological thriller,
The Glass Woman is a chilling invitation to witness what might be our future. The science is well-researched and completely believable. A novel that stayed in my mind long after I read the final page. The definition of a thought-provoking read."
– Julie Corbin, author of
Whispers of a Scandal"McIlroy packs a lot into this slim novel, calling into question the permanence of memory, the infallibility of technology, and the trustworthiness of those we love. Taking central themes of
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,
Severance, and Dennis Lehane's
Shutter Island to new dramatic heights, McIlroy's well-paced novel will keep readers guessing until the final pages."
–
Booklist"Twisty, dark and chillingly believable.
The Glass Woman is a gripping exploration of memory, loss and AI."
–
Carole Hailey, author of
The Silence Project
