Book info

• Title Inside the O'Briens
• Author Lisa Genova
• Year 2015
• Genre Contemporary

Joe O'Brien is a Boston cop; his physical stamina and methodical mind have seen him through decades policing the city streets, while raising a family with his wife Rosie. When he starts making uncharacteristic errors, he attributes them to stress. Finally, he agrees to see a doctor and is handed a terrifying, unexpected diagnosis: Huntington's disease. Not only is Joe's life set to change beyond recognition, but each of his four grown children has a fifty-fifty chance of inheriting the disease. Observing her potential future play out in his escalating symptoms, his pretty yoga teacher daughter Katie wrestles with how to make the most of the here and now, and how to care for her dad who is, inside, always an O'Brien.

Thoughts

What I love about Genova’s work is that it highlights and gets deeper into diseases that you know about, but don’t really know about. This book talks about Huntingdon’s Disease, which a Charlestown cop discovers he has. The story focuses on his reaction and gradual decline, but more importantly it examines the effect his diagnosis has on the second generation.

As an inherited gene is the cause of all the issues, each of the four kids could have the disease, and we get to wrestle along with the characters as they decide whether to find out their fate or not. It’s heartbreaking to read, but also fascinating. How would you react? Perhaps it is easier to say without being in the situation itself.

An emotional read, this one, but important for awareness and understanding, and all tucked inside a really good story as well.

Rating: 4 / 5