Archetype

Emotional involvement powers this absorbing gothic thriller in science fiction trappings. After the narrator awakens from a period of unconsciousness, she is taught that she is Emma Burke, beloved wife of a dashing tycoon. Her husband, Declan, encourages her to depend absolutely on him for protection against the terrorists who brutally attacked her. However, her dreams (and a sardonic interior voice Emma simply calls “Her”) insinuate images of her personally rebelling against an oppressive society that treats women as property. Emma vacillates between genuine love for Declan and passion for another fighter in the resistance, whom she sees, or perhaps remembers, in her dreams. 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. The second half of the story, Prototype, will be published in late 2014. (Feb.)