REVIEW | ‘Inside the O’Briens’

In 'Inside the O'Briens,” best-selling author, Lisa Genova, has written a book that raises awareness of Huntington's Disease the way her book 'Still Alice” brought attention to early onset Alzheimer's Disease. With meticulous research, Genova tells the story of a Boston family dealing with a Huntington's diagnosis.

Joe O'Brien is a quintessential Boston police officer who values faith, family, heritage, and his brotherhood with the Boston police force. He works extra hours to make sure his reports hold up in court. He is the ultimate husband to Rosie and father to his four children, all adults now.

Huntington's begins slowly with difficulty remembering certain details, Joe clumsily tripping over his own feet and angry outbursts. Rumors begin that Joe is a drunk. Fellow cops start to talk. His mom was a drunk and died in an institution when he was a child. Or did she? Rosie convinces Joe to see a doctor. Now Joe has to tell his children, knowing that each has a 50 percent chance of having the disease.

Genova takes us through a year of living with the beginnings of Huntington's. The reader learns to live life to the fullest, even while going through the 'cruelest disease known to man.” The characters aren't perfect, which makes them relatable and honest. As Joe's children battle with the decision of whether to be tested for the gene, the reader wonders, 'Would I want to know?”

My only disappointment in this novel was the ending. It is frustrating to come to the last word in the book without realizing it is the last word.

Hope is a central theme in this novel as well as awareness. Fans of Genova will find her newest novel to be memorable, inspiring and informative.