Appropriate Love by Greg Egan

This is not your normal kind of pregnancy.

Perhaps Greg Egan is revered in literary science-fiction circles but he seems to be one of those authors that has been flying under the radar for decades. He deserves recognition not only as an outstanding science-fiction writer but as a truly exceptional author. Egan consistently delivers some of the coolest and mind-bending concepts with impressive writing chops to back it up--concise, fast-paced and fully immersive. So far, each short-story in this collection ("Axiomatic") has been truly exceptional and could be a stand-alone episode of Black Mirror. I fear that it is only a matter of time before some Hollywood studio gets their grubby hands on his work and butchers the material. Until that fateful day, let us savor the richness of these stories, reveling in the extraordinary talent on display. 

"Appropriate Love" presents a fascinating premise: a woman's husband has been terribly injured in a train accident and will need to remain on life-support indefinitely. Even though his body is destroyed, the brain remains active, albeit in a coma state. The doctor's are certain that he will never make a fully recovery. Instead of pulling the plug, they propose a radical solution. There is a new scientific program with highly advanced technology that will remove the brain and implant it in her womb. Essentially, she will be pregnant for two years with her husband's brain until it can be safely removed and implanted into a clone body. While understandably reluctant at first, she eventually decides to go through with the procedure to save her husband's life. Disturbing as this all sounds, the 'science' presented here feels entirely believable and could potentially be possible in the future. 

The narrative extensively delves into her inner world, where she grapples with the profound responsibility and conflicting moral dilemmas of giving birth of her husband's brain. Not to mention, the physical toll is immense, enduring a two-year pregnancy fraught with potential health risks. The author shifts the focus from the wild science fiction concepts to the wife's psychological journey, embedding the story in an emotional framework that heightens the poignancy of the climax. Truly brilliant storytelling and I can't wait to read more stories from this collection.