Terry Gene

Matryoschka Terry Gene

Kirkus review: Alternative pasts and genders arise from a failed quantum energy experiment in this debut novel. ... The gender what-if is central and has a remarkable twist... Gene's dialogue is naturalistic... This sci-fi tale remains thoughtful and emotional. When a quantum energy experiment goes horribly wrong, it accidentally shatters the future allowing alternative pasts to co-exist. As Alexandria Jane Merk passes through the nexus of the effect, she splits into two identities-each with full histories of their own-merged into one body. One identity, Army veteran Alex James Monroe, remembers a life full of failure and loss. The second identity, freshman college coed Sarah Beth Merk, remembers a difficult childhood in a suburban upbringing. Both sense each other but neither believes the other really exists. To survive, they must accept their shared fates and find the person responsible for the fission before time runs out. Because if they fail, they will not only die, but they will also take everyone they have ever known with them. A mind-bending journey into existentialism and the interconnectedness of the human race.