Make no mistake about it, life is a messy business and Jake and Emily, childhood friends and neighbours, have plenty of mess to contend with.
Rekindling their relationship when they are medical students, they set forth into adult life with Jake's genetic heritage hanging over their heads, thrown into stark relief by his mother's death from Huntington's disease.
To know or not to know, that is the question ... and through career advancement, marriage and parenthood, Jake and Emily will have to wrestle with the choices they must make.
With Dunedin starring in a cameo role, this is a compelling medical drama, a rollercoaster ride through the world of genetic inheritance, as well as the life and death dilemmas we all may face.
The writing style ( young adult) and questions had a mixed review. However the discussion was wide ranging and very interesting, as group members shared personal stories of both hereditary health conditions and end of life experiences.
GORE 001
26-09-2024
This resulted in mixed opinions from the members of our group. Some members loved it, thought it very interesting with riveting topics; and other members couldn't finish, thought there was no real depth, and had a writing style that wasn't liked. We had an engaged discussion about the book and its topics.
BLENH 010
12-09-2024
A mixed reaction to this book. Some enjoyed it very much, others an average response. All agreed it was a tragic story in its Huntington's theme. We enjoyed a very good discussion.
BLENH 010
29-08-2024
A mixed reaction to this book. Some enjoyed it very much, others, a very average response. All agreed it was a tragic story. Good discussion, particularly about Huntington's.
ASHB 016
18-07-2024
We all enjoyed this book - knew there would be a twist but it was different to what we expected. Good discussion about the disease and the theme of the book in general - liked the NZ & Australian aspect. Good story.
CROMW 005
18-07-2024
Enjoyable.
ASHB 005
25-06-2024
The book was enjoyed by all members, once you got into the book. Slow to begin at the start of the book.
MARTIN 001
12-04-2024
Most members didn't like this book. A few did. Most thought that it was popularist with not much literary merit. Others enjoyed it as an easy read that kept their attention. Characters were two dimensional and not developed. It tried to cover too many issues. However it was informative about Huntington's Disease.
WAITAT 004
15-11-2023
Mixed reactions in our group - while we felt some important themes were tackled, it all felt a bit superficial. Useful knowledge re medical issues.
CHCH 125
12-09-2023
Reminded one of the struggle of medical school training. Enjoyable read despite the difficult subject matter.