Way back in 2010, I read and wrote about Still Alice, a novel by Lisa Genova about a woman who has Alzheimer's Disease. I thought it was a fascinating book, well written, and very moving.
So I was excited to see that Ms. Genova had another book, and it had received decent reviews. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel it had the same kind of heart that Alice had. This is a novel about the O'Brien family. We meet Joe, the father, who is a Boston police officer. And we meet his family, a wife and 4 grown children. And like Alice in Still Alice, Joe is diagnosed with a disease - in this case, Huntington's Disease. Huntington's is a genetic, progressive disease that causes twitches, problems with balance and speech, and eventually leaves the individual bedridden until they die. Joe's mother had it too, and although HD wasn't diagnosed often then, he recognizes the signs and knows it is in his family.
Joe's children have a choice as to whether or not they wish to be tested to see if they have the HD gene. Some choose to take it and others do not. Daughter Katie agonizes over this decision, and this is one of my complaints about the book. Chapter after chapter deals with her indecision and the same back and forth arguments go through her mind to the point I wanted to scream out "Do it already!"
If you have an interest in Huntington's, I'd recommend it. Otherwise, just reread Still Alice. In an author interview, Ms. Genova said her next book will be about an ALS victim. Do I sense a pattern here? - June
