Girl One is an interesting novel that starts out as one woman’s search for her missing mother and turns into a quest for the truth about her own background. It sounds straightforward, but the background is what makes this novel different. The protagonist was the first of nine girls born via an experiment in parthenogenesis and she ultimately discovers that it means more than just existing without male DNA.

It seems to be a straightforward plot at first, the search for a missing person who wasn’t entirely stable. But more questions arise at every step, with the possibility that it was an abduction and a growing number of potential aggravators. Bits of the truth slip out along the way, enough to entice readers to keep turning the page. And the story becomes a race against time and circumstances, keeping you guessing whether things will actually turn out alright in the end.

Because the story is told from the protagonist’s POV, you don’t readily get all the details, which is a great way to keep you reading. The majority of characters have depth and faults, so you never know if they’re going to make what seem to be the best decisions – and there are times when those decisions are frustrating. And, unsurprisingly, there’s strong female content, but it doesn’t feel like preachy feminism. And the LGBT elements that pop up later in the story don’t overtake the main plot.

The comparisons to Orphan Black are apt – there are multiple “sisters” involved (though not clones), edgy science, questionable personal and professional histories, and plenty of action. It has a touch of the darkness of that series as well, but doesn’t go quite as deep. And there’s a Handmaid’s Tale element as well, with women being brought together for the sole purpose of giving birth, though it’s via experimental methods in this instance. Ultimately, this is not a feel-good novel. But you don’t expect that out of thrillers anyway. It’s an interesting, engaging read with a scientific twist. And it’s not overwhelmed by the science, but humanizes it and might make you think a bit.