You can hear his every thought. But he can hear yours too…
When Elijah suggests going to OneMind to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, Anna is dubious about getting the implant that will allow them to hear each other’s thoughts. However, she’s eager to please him, and to make up for the fact she can’t give him what he really wants, she agrees to take this step towards the ultimate intimacy.
And at first things are great. Anna feels closer to her husband, and the novelty of communicating mind to mind is a thrill. But then she develops a strange side effect and begins having dreams that aren’t dreams, but memories. Memories that aren’t hers. And if Anna is now seeing Elijah’s memories, what if he can see hers? Will he discover what she’s kept buried in her past?
Desperate to keep the truth from her husband, Anna’s mind becomes a prison she can’t escape. How long can she keep the traitorous thoughts at bay before she drives herself mad?
A clever exploration of toxic relationships, power imbalances, and privacy from an exciting new voice in the high-concept thriller space.
Book Info: Print length: 372 pages. Publisher: Vintage Digital. Publication Date: 27 Feb 2025
My Thoughts:
Followers of my blog and reviews will know how much I love “speculative fiction” and when I read the blurb for Always on My Mind I was intrigued and excited. This is an exceptional debut which ticked all my personal requirements for a 5 star read.
Imagine being able to hear your partners every thought 24/7 and they could hear yours. Personally it sounds like a complete nightmare to me, but Anna and Elijah are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary and what better way to declare their love and commitment than to have a microchip inserted into their heads and being connected on a whole new level. I’d rather just have a bunch of flowers and chocolates, but each to their own!
OneMind is this new experimental neural implant and whilst Elijah thinks it will bring them even closer as a couple, Anna is concerned that this may uncovered some very uncomfortable secrets she’s been keeping. However, when Anna starts experiencing vivid and violent memories that definitely aren’t hers, she begins to fear for her sanity and her life.
Always on My Mind is a super smart, suspenseful, and deeply unsettling look at toxic relationships, privacy, technology, secrets and lies.
