On a winter night on a remote Nebraska road, twenty-seven-year-old Mark Schluter flips his truck in a near fatal accident. His older sister, Karin, his only close kin, returns reluctantly to their hometown to nurse Mark back from a traumatic head injury. But when he emerges from a protracted coma, Mark believes that this woman - who looks, acts, and sounds just like his sister - is really an identical impostor. Shattered by her brother's refusal to recognize her, Karin contacts the cognitive neurologist Gerald Weber, famous ...
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On a winter night on a remote Nebraska road, twenty-seven-year-old Mark Schluter flips his truck in a near fatal accident. His older sister, Karin, his only close kin, returns reluctantly to their hometown to nurse Mark back from a traumatic head injury. But when he emerges from a protracted coma, Mark believes that this woman - who looks, acts, and sounds just like his sister - is really an identical impostor. Shattered by her brother's refusal to recognize her, Karin contacts the cognitive neurologist Gerald Weber, famous for his case histories describing the infinitely bizarre worlds of brain disorder. Weber recognizes Mark as a rare case of Capgras syndrome, a doubling delusion, and eagerly investigates. What he discovers in Mark slowly undermines even his own sense of being. Meanwhile, Mark, armed only with a note left by an anonymous witness, attempts to learn what happened the night of his inexplicable accident. The truth of that evening will change the lives of all three beyond recognition. Set against the Platte River's massive spring migrations - one of the greatest spectacles in nature - "The Echo Maker" is a gripping mystery that explores the improvised human self and the even more precarious brain that splits us from and joins us to the rest of creation.
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Add this copy of The Echo Maker: a Novel to cart. $1.25, fair condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Fair. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket.
Add this copy of The Echo Maker to cart. $3.23, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Farrar Straus Giroux.
Add this copy of The Echo Maker to cart. $3.23, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Farrar Straus Giroux.
Add this copy of The Echo Maker to cart. $3.23, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Farrar Straus Giroux.
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Add this copy of The Echo Maker: a Novel to cart. $3.99, good condition, Sold by Orphans Treasure Box rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Champaign, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Good. Size: 6x1x8; Ships quickly. Almost very good. Mild shelf/reading wear. SEVERAL DOG EARED PAGES. Orphans Treasure Box sells books to raise money for orphans and vulnerable kids.
Add this copy of The Echo Maker a Novel to cart. $4.00, good condition, Sold by Becker's Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Houston, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Add this copy of The Echo Maker: a Novel to cart. $5.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
There's a good book buried in the padding here. The story of a bizarre brain injury is gripping and a good mystery is buried in it - when will the truth about the accident be revealed and what effect will it have on the relationships at the heart of the story?
The crane sanctuary and lyrical descriptions of the natural world belong in another book altogether.
greebs
Jan 14, 2009
An interesting, informative read
The book centers around Mark Schluter, a man in his late 20s who flips his truck in the middle of the night. His sister Karin races back home to care for him - and Mark makes it out of surgery. However, when he regains consciousness, he believes that the woman helping him is NOT his sister, but an impostor.
What Mark is suffering from, apparently due to the injury, is something called Capgras Delusion, or Capgras syndrome. This rare happenstance causes no shortage of emotional pain for Karin, and she seeks help everywhere, including from a noted author who writes about rare brain syndromes such as this.
The book has a few minor mysteries, some of which are quite well revealed and others which I didn't care as much about. Author Richard Powers does a nice job of writing from several perspectives: Karin, the doctor, and most interestingly, Mark the patient. He is a very talented writer, and his prose is both lyrical and modern, and it's a pleasure to read. While the book rarely captivated me, I enjoyed it quite a bit and would definitely recommend it.
AnnieB
Dec 20, 2007
Writing gets in the way of the story
No one in our book club really liked this book; even the discussion leader didn't finish it. The writing was too technical, the writer seemingly too impressed with his own writing skills. As Nebraskans, we identified with the winter scenes, but not with the characters. We also identified with the writer's fascination with the cranes. We had a good discussion about the plots, sub-plots and symbolism. Still, the general consensus was that the medical descriptions and even poetic descriptions interfered with the major theme of the book: trust in relationships.
