(Since I don’t think I’ll get around to a proper post on this, briefly:)
Some truly cold, post-social era scientist dude (ruined by his childhood) bumps through life and relationships as an ogre. The people-scale storytelling is insightful but also brutal and unattractive.
The big picture story is wildly insightful – the scientist invents cloning pretty much, so love/relationships are no longer needed, and the people produced are modified and perfect. The end of sad humankind.
Like Submission, the big idea pulling this book along is what made it exciting.
Here is a longer, better review.