Archetype: A Novel

Emma wakes up in a hospital-like facility, knowing very little about her past. Her husband, Declan, and her caregiver, Dr. Travista, both tell her she has been in an accident and try to train her to return to a normal life. At the facility, Emma takes up painting and running, but at night, dreams of a past life haunt her. In one set of nightmares, she is a woman named Adrienne, floating lifeless in a tube while a man named Noah and a woman named Sonya watch her. In another, she falls in love with a man named Mr. Tucker. In the third, she recalls time at a work camp where women are trained to be good wives to men. Emma tries to discover the truth about her past and what happened to her, as well as the world around her. Through a voice in her head, she learns to manipulate and lie to the men around her to earn more freedom.

Archetype is similar to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale or P.D. James’ The Children of Men. Readers learn about Emma’s world as Emma does, making for a gripping, terrifying, but ultimately satisfying reading experience.