The Merge

A chilling dystopian debut set in a world where Earth has been pushed to breaking point, giving rise to a controversial new medical procedure.

''[A] clever and provocative debut ... smart and engaging – like Nineteen Eighty-Four crossed with Never Let Me Go.'' Daily Mail

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

Once the process begins, there can be no going back, we will always be together…

Laurie is sixty-five and living with Alzheimer’s. Her daughter Amelia 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 a 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 unwilling addict daughter Lara.

As they prepare to move to The Village, a luxurious rehabilitation centre for those who have merged, they quickly begin to question whether everything is really as it seems.

''This clever and provocative debut ... smart and engaging – like Nineteen Eighty-Four crossed with Never Let Me Go.'' Daily Mail

''Moving between the viewpoints of the two women, this is a compelling and disturbing story of love and sacrifice, control and resistance.'' Guardian

''Get lost in an engrossing, disturbing novel with an audacious twist.'' The Mail on Sunday

''In this debut novel, a mother with Alzheimer’s and her daughter make the radical choice to merge minds, blending their consciousness into one. It’s about preserving what matters most – love, memory and identity – against the erosion of time, beautifully exploring the mother-daughter bond.'' Woman & Home

''This unforgettable debut... If you''re a fan of Black Mirror, this is the book for you. It''s twisty and thought-provoking, and sure to linger in your mind long after you''ve finished reading it.'' Daily Mirror

''It is hard to believe this is a debut; The Merge is dark, heartbreaking and, at times, horrifyingly close to reality. A haunting read that will stay with me for a long time.'' Press Association

''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

''Grace Walker creates an uncanny world so rich and all-encompassing that it’s hard to believe it’s not real ... it''s clear that Walker poured her all into this future c