Review of advance reader eBook
Claire Abrams is torn. Three years have passed since their son, Colton, died of mitochondrial disease, the result of inheriting the deadly gene defect in Claire’s mitochondrial DNA. Her husband, Ethan, wants to try again. As much as Claire yearns to have another baby, how can she run the risk of having a child inherit those deadly genes once again?
Fertility specialist Doctor Robert Nash has an answer for her. But there are restrictions against the manipulation of a human embryo’s genes, so technically the procedure is illegal and, although Claire agrees to the procedure, when the details of the child’s conception become public knowledge, she panics and goes into hiding.
But there are still secrets, and Claire now lives with the fear of exposure. What will happen when, as always happens, those secrets and lies no longer remain hidden?
Slipping between past and present, the slowly-unfolding story draws readers into the telling of the tale. Told from three different perspectives and, at times, somewhat predictable, the narrative is less concerned with the ethical dilemma of gene manipulation in human embryos than with the secrets and lies surrounding the procedure. Some unforeseen twists in the plot help to keep the tension building and readers will find it difficult to set this one aside.
The characters are well-defined; particularly noteworthy is Claire’s grief. Her continuing pain and her struggles over the death of her son are spot-on and perfectly relatable. However, there are times when Abby’s actions feel as if they are at odds with the way eleven-year-olds actually behave and react. The ending may come together a bit too neatly for some readers, but the suspense will keep the pages turning.
Recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley
#MotherKnowsBest #NetGalley
Claire Abrams is torn. Three years have passed since their son, Colton, died of mitochondrial disease, the result of inheriting the deadly gene defect in Claire’s mitochondrial DNA. Her husband, Ethan, wants to try again. As much as Claire yearns to have another baby, how can she run the risk of having a child inherit those deadly genes once again?
Fertility specialist Doctor Robert Nash has an answer for her. But there are restrictions against the manipulation of a human embryo’s genes, so technically the procedure is illegal and, although Claire agrees to the procedure, when the details of the child’s conception become public knowledge, she panics and goes into hiding.
But there are still secrets, and Claire now lives with the fear of exposure. What will happen when, as always happens, those secrets and lies no longer remain hidden?
Slipping between past and present, the slowly-unfolding story draws readers into the telling of the tale. Told from three different perspectives and, at times, somewhat predictable, the narrative is less concerned with the ethical dilemma of gene manipulation in human embryos than with the secrets and lies surrounding the procedure. Some unforeseen twists in the plot help to keep the tension building and readers will find it difficult to set this one aside.
The characters are well-defined; particularly noteworthy is Claire’s grief. Her continuing pain and her struggles over the death of her son are spot-on and perfectly relatable. However, there are times when Abby’s actions feel as if they are at odds with the way eleven-year-olds actually behave and react. The ending may come together a bit too neatly for some readers, but the suspense will keep the pages turning.
Recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley
#MotherKnowsBest #NetGalley