Ms. Genova has become one of my favorite authors since the publication of
Still Alice which I have read twice. The latest one didn't disappoint. For those of you not familiar with her books, they all have a similar theme - some sort of illness which makes sense because she has a degree in biopsychology and a PhD in neuroscience. This novel focuses on Huntington's disease which is one of the cruelest afflictions there is. It isn't just about the 'victim' but the impact it has on a family. In this story it is Joe who is afflicted. He has been a cop in Boston for 24 years. During the past seven years there have been symptoms but Joe has managed to ignore and hide them - except that his wife Rose is not fooled. Eventually she gets him to see a neurologist and they find out the dreadful truth. And Joe also realizes now that his mom, who was in an institution for years before she died, was not there because she was an alcoholic. He was too young at the time to realize that what he had been told didn't make any sense.
Joe and Rosie have four grown-up children and they have to be told. With that knowledge comes a terrible decision that has to be made. Do they want to find out if they are carrying the gene and thus will be afflicted in middle-age? How do you live your life if you know what your future holds? How will you feel if you are 'lucky' and some of your siblings are not?
I love books that make me think "What would I do?" and this one certainly did. I highly recommend it!
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