Book review: Inside the O'Briens

Title: Inside the O'Briens

Author: Lisa Genova

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary: The O'Briens are born-and-bred Irish Catholics who live in Charlestown.  Patriarch Joe is a 44-year-old cop married to Rosie and a father of four.  When Joe is diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, his world and his family's world is changed forever.  As his family witnesses his deterioration as a result of his disease, his children grapple with whether they should get a genetic test that will identify if they carry the gene that will lead to their own Huntington's diagnosis later in life. Two of his kids want to know and have to deal with their test results.  Two others struggle with whether they want to know, and the not knowing leads to its own stresses.  In the meantime, Huntington's continues to take away Joe's ability to be a cop, husband and dad.

Review: I initially gave this book three stars, but the more I think about it, the more I like it.  As somebody that has potentially passed on the BRCA gene to her daughters, I am sympathetic to the guilt that Joe felt passing the gene for this disease on to his children.  Additionally, as somebody that inherited the BRCA gene from my mom, I am also sympathetic to not blaming a parent for passing something like this on.  However, let me state that passing along the Huntington's disease gene is far worse than passing on the BRCA gene.  Genova did a great job describing this disease (or at least I was convinced).

As somebody that wasn't born and bred within certain towns in Massachusetts (translation: "blue-collar", non-wealthy towns?  I'm trying not to insult friends that are born and bred in Massachusetts here), I'll never be a townie.  As a result, I don't think I'll ever truly understand townies.  I don't think the author is a townie.  As a result, I'd argue that she didn't really capture what it's like to be a townie.  I could be wrong--she could have nailed it.  But something about the way she created these characters seemed oversimplified.  That said, I liked the kids a lot.  I think it was more her depiction of Joe and his wife Rosie that sort of bugged and led to four stars over five. However, I LOVED the ending.

Time to write:  9:10

Book review: Before I Go

Title: Before I Go
Author: Colleen Oakley
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary: Daisy Richmond is 27 and married to Jack, the love of her life.  In her early 20s she battled breast cancer and she's just found it's back. And this time it's terminal in a "6-months to live" terminal.  What's going to happen to Jack when she's gone?  Daisy wants to be sure that Jack is left in good hands after she dies, so she makes it her mission to find Jack a new wife before she goes.  Except that when Jack ends up getting close to a woman that Daisy perceives to be the perfect fit for Jack, Daisy worries that she's lost Jack even before she's actually passed away.

Review:  This is one of those books that when I picked it up from the library and the jacket I thought, "this might not be the best book for me."  But I loved it.  I'd call this sort of "heavy chick lit."  I mean, Daisy's terminal.  But there are funny parts too.  And Jack is a great guy, but terminal cancer can tax even the strongest of marriages.  I don't want to give the ending away, but did I mention her cancer is terminal?  It doesn't end well.  Make no mistake--this is a tearjerker of a book.  I realized it's been a while since I read a tearjerker.  They're pretty cathartic.  I finished this book last night and I was hoping that my sobbing wasn't waking up Aaron.  If you're in the mood for a tearjerker, check this one out.

Time spent on review: 3:39