Prime Difference

"Prime Difference" by Alan Edward Nourse is a science fiction tale about a man named George Faircloth, who is unhappy with his marriage and facing legal difficulties regarding divorce. Facing a troubled marriage, George makes a surprising decision: he uses an illegal technology to create a duplicate of himself, named Ego Prime, to manage his life with his wife while he seeks relationships outside of his marriage. As George enjoys his freedom, the Ego Prime starts to change and develop its own character, which leads to problems he didn't expect, especially when his wife begins to like the Ego Prime more than himself. Explored are significant ideas about who we are, the challenges of marriage, and what happens when technology raises questions about right and wrong, ending with a surprising shift that makes George look at love and relationships in a new way.