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    Inside the O'Briens: A Novel
    Inside the O'Briens: A Novel
    Inside the O'Briens: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    Inside the O'Briens: A Novel

    Written by Lisa Genova

    Narrated by Skipp Sudduth

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    A New York Times bestseller ▪ A Library Journal Best Books of 2015 Pick ▪ A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best Books of 2015 Pick ▪A GoodReads Top Ten Fiction Book of 2015 ▪ A People Magazine Great Read

    From New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova comes a “heartbreaking…very human novel” (Matthew Thomas, author of We Are Not Ourselves) that does for Huntington’s disease what her debut novel Still Alice did for Alzheimer’s.

    Joe O’Brien is a forty-three-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s disease.

    Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure, and each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate.

    Praised for writing that “explores the resilience of the human spirit” (San Francisco Chronicle), Lisa Genova has once again delivered a novel as powerful and unforgettable as the human insights at its core.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateApr 7, 2015
    ISBN9781442382503
    Author

    Lisa Genova

    Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, and Remember. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She travels worldwide speaking about the neurological diseases she writes about and has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Today, PBS NewsHour, CNN, and NPR. Her TED talk, What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer's, has been viewed over 2 million times.  

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    Reviews for Inside the O'Briens

    4.5/5

    97 ratings42 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A story that will break your heart, yet steadfast in hope and acceptance. A shocking read, though only because of the lack of awareness and seriousness of the disease.The O'Brien family in Boston, two years after the Boston Marathon bombing. Joe O'Brien knows what death looks like, he has seen it with friends and foe, he is one of the Boston Police, as his father and grandfather were before him. But now he is about to see what life looks like, in the most unexpected way from a personal perspective. The father of upcoming adult children, he of course speculates on the futures they will have.Joe barely remembers his mother. She was ill when he was still a child, hearing rumors about her, "Drank herself to death" was most prevalent. But he wasn't sure. What he remembered most in his visits was that she was not much more than a skeleton, tied into a chair and force-fed. But lurking in that shell was a love for her boy, and a woman with a death sentence pre-ordained.What is inside the O'Briens? Subtle at first, Joe doesn't even notice random quirks. Not until his body starts doing things that he doesn't intend to do, such as go left and promptly goes right. Not much favored upon by the hierarchy of the Police Dept. He can't keep still, his feet and eyes are constantly moving, but he is still unaware. Soon his limbs take on a life of their own, swinging out suddenly, occasionally accidentally hitting someone. When things like this happen fierce uncontrollable anger overtakes him; he is unable to relate to these events, especially the terrifying anger. Eventually Rosie, his wife, is finally able to get him to a neurologist somewhat willingly...one for movement disorders. He fears a "brain" doctor. The diagnosis return is slow and his mind begins to drift to his mother dying in the hospital.Genetic testing comes back with the ill-fated genetic mutation everyone was afraid to contemplate...Huntington's Disease (HD). This is a nightmare that will not go away. Ever. Do his adult children already have it coded into their genes? Remembering his mother, he now realizes that she lived and died with it. There is no treatment, no cure. It doesn't present itself until around the childbearing age of your children. Exactly according to the plan that Joe did not set for himself. His oldest son is married and desperately trying for a baby; They just announced that they were finally pregnant. His oldest daughter is a ballerina with a good company, the second daughter is in the early throes of love, and ready to embrace the world. His youngest son is showing signs already of juvenile HD which will put him dying much younger than usual. There is no long life with HD.Yes, this book gives probably the best look at how one family handled the worst, and what worse was still to come. Lisa Genova certainly is aware and tells her story with great passion, research, vulnerability, yet hope for a future, distant or not. We never know what we are capable of in our lives. Will we become stronger, fight the big pharmaceuticals for not giving time and money toward research on these types of orphan, rare, or hidden diseases? Or will we just give up (as unfortunately many do when they learn their fate). This book talks of 4 generations of a perfectly healthy family until suddenly the hidden monster surfaced leaving at least 3 of Joe's adult children, and the possibility that 1 of his grandchildren will be tested positive when he is old enough to be tested. Novel or not, this is a comprehensive look at the real disease.A personal postscript to Lisa Genova: One reason I'm personally impacted with this book...We had a friend once. People seeing her walk the streets of town all had the same idea: Drunk. She was a lovely lady and enjoyed what she could. Gone for several years now, we still think of her strong will to live to the best of her ability. Thank you so much Lisa, for this heartfelt book, but even more to show with strength of character we can choose to live with, as close to our own outcome as is medically possible. Your writing is consistently inspiring and bringing some much-needed awareness to a disease unknown to so many and so little understood.Disclaimer: I am grateful to the publishers at Simon & Schuster for allowing me an advance copy of this very well-written book in exchange for my honest opinion; maybe it will help people to understand that there are diseases that actually have NO cure. With modern miracles happening so much faster than before, we might not even realize such a thing is a reality.
    • 4/5
      I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley. I have loved all Lisa Genova's books and this was no exception. It was the story of a family dealing with Huntington's disease. Joe O'Brien is a 44 year old cop and married father of 4 children in their early twenties when he is diagnosed. The book deals with the effects of the disease on Joe, his wife, and their children, who must decide if they want to find out if they will someday have Huntington's as well. The youngest daughter, Katie, became a little whiny and obsessive at times, but that is probably not an unrealistic portrait of a 21 year old in her situation. It was well written, touching and realistic although some may be a little disappointed in the ending I found it to be a fitting conclusion.
    • 5/5
      It seemed so true and I could actually feel like I was part of the story. I couldn’t put it down
    • 4/5
      This is a tear-jerking, heartwarming story of a family who finds out that they have Huntington's Disease in their family. Only the father has symptoms during this telling (and they are terrifying), but his four children must decide if they want to know if they have the Huntington's gene. It is a well-told tale of what the four children, ages approximately 20-30 yr old, are thinking about getting this dreaded disease, and whether they really want to know or not. This book is very educational and the author does a good job with the subject, just as she did in "Still Alice." I highly recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      I have learned about a disease I never heard about. And through a family that is so real, it could have been mine. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the narrator’s presentation.
    • 5/5
      I was thrilled to be able to read an advance copy of Lisa Genova's latest book, Inside the O'Briens. I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. Genova did a great job educating her readers about Huntington's Disease in the form of a novel. It was a compelling read. I particularly appreciated all the ethical issues brought to light in the book: genetic testing, living with a terminal illness, suicide, etc. These issues apply to many illnesses, not just Huntington's. I highly recommend this book for book discussion groups; I predict that the discussions it will generate will be the best of the year. I intend to recommend it to everyone I know.
    • 4/5
      Fond Of The most important aspect of Inside the O'Briens is that it brings awareness to Huntington's Disease. Being epileptic, I understand how important it is to "get the word out there" and admire the novel for that.Lisa Genova creates an emotional roller-coaster and has imagined characters that touch with intensity.Inside the O'Briens is very heartbreaking, showing the horrible genetic component of Huntington's. Although it did so maturely, without restraint and assembled a pounding in your chest each time one of Joe O'Brien's children read their test results.Not Fond OfJoe and Rosie's reaction to their son Patrick's child out of wedlock bothered me as they apparently decided to write the baby off. Considering they were all about family it seemed unreasonable to me.Final ThoughtsIt is a heavy book and one must be in the mood for it. At the end of Inside the O'Briens the youngest daughter Katie decides to be tested after two of her siblings test positive, but ends the novel when the envelope is being opened, a cut to commercial moment. Although despite my desire to know her genes it leaves the reader with the message of living each day to its fullest as you never know what tomorrow will bring.
    • 5/5
      I would like to thank Gallery Books & NetGalley for granting me a copy of this e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.Goodreads Teaser:"From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova comes a powerful new novel that does for Huntington’s Disease what her debut "Still Alice" did for Alzheimer’s.Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate.Praised for writing that “explores the resilience of the human spirit” (The San Francisco Chronicle), Lisa Genova has once again delivered a novel as powerful and unforgettable as the human insights at its core."Having read "Still Alice" I'll admit I went into this book with exceedingly high expectations, and I'm more than happy to say I wasn't disappointed in any way. If possible this book surpasses "Still Alice." Huntington's Disease has far less media exposure than Alzheimer's, but to me in many ways it is worse because you know what's coming and are mentally present for most of it. Plus the fact that it is a hereditary disease makes it exponentially harder, for many people don't show symptoms and therefore go undiagnosed until they already have a family of their own. Children that have a fifty percent chance of inheriting this living death sentence. Once again Genova tackles a tremendously challenging topic and handles it with grace and dignity, yet never shying away from the brutal reality of this disease. Her characters are already flawed, and when you suddenly throw such an explosive shock into the mix things are bound to suddenly go sideways for everyone. It's how each of the family members copes with this life altering news that makes this tale so powerful and real. Change the names and occupations and this could be anyone's story - mine, your's, your next door neighbor's. . . Though much of the story is told from Joe's and Katie's perspectives, none of those directly impacted are neglected. Between her deft handling of each character and the skillful arc of the overall story Genova has created a masterpiece that will stand the test of time. Even if we ever do find a cure for this insidious killer, this story will stand testament to not only those not lucky enough to survive long enough to benefit from the cure, but all the lives they touched along their journey. Be prepared to fall in love with the characters, to hate them, to get frustrated by them; in short to feel for them as you might feel about your own family members (by blood or choice). Keep tissues on hand, but don't be surprised to find yourself laughing out loud either, as you will run the gamut of human emotions while experiencing this story - both as you read it and well after you've finished it. I simply can't say enough good things about this powerfully moving tale, and I know that though it may take time to fully absorb all the details of this story, I'll be ready and waiting for Genova's next book!
    • 4/5
      I had heard of Huntington’s disease before I read this book, but I did not really know much about it, I know now what a destructive disease it is. The book revolves around two main characters in the book Joe O’Brien who is a police officer, father to four children and husband to Rosie. The second character the book focuses on is the youngest child Katie O’Brien. The read first tells about Joe and how his life starts to unravel due to the disease. The author does a stupendous job describing what Huntington's is through this character by how it affects him physically and mentally. Therefore, destroying each fragment of him a piece at a time. You grow to care about the characters making it emotional, but, the O’Briens have a special strength to their family that helps them get through each day. Strength plays a large part in this story. The mental strength needed must be hard to have with such an immensely tragic disease.

      The other main character is Katie O’Brien. She has a fifty percent chance of inheriting Huntington’s disease from her father Joe and is indecisive if she wants to know if she is positive or negative for the disease. Through Katie, the author shows how traumatic it is for the family members. Katie’s character was unsure of her life before the option of having a deadly disease. Therefore, now how she should proceed with her future puts her in tremendous turmoil. I think that Katie was the perfect child of Joe's to be the other major part of the book. Due to the fact that she is an intelligent person, very insightful, and feels like the underdog in the family a lot.

      The only thing that I did not like about this book is that it has an unfinished ending. I am the reader I want to know how it finished not guess. That is the point of a story a beginning, a middle, and an end. That was the only thing I did not like about this book. Who would I recommend this to? Anyone.

      “To date, 90% of people at risk for HD choose not to know.”

      "Thank you, Netgalley, for letting me give an honest review"
    • 2/5
      Disappointing compared to Still Alice. The characters are all stereotypes without irony. Manly, reticent Irish Catholic Boston cop, check. Devout Irish Catholic mother straight out of the 1950s, check. Vegan daughter no one understands, check. Troubled son who turns to drugs and casual sex (horrors!), check.The book would be so much more effective at showing the ravages of Huntington's Disease if the characters weren't cardboard. And even more so because I know Lisa Genova can do it -- she did in Still Alice.
    • 4/5
      I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.

      I was privileged to receive an advanced copy of Still Alice by this author and when I found this newest work, Inside the Obrien's, I knew I had to read it. When I learned it was Huntington's Disease, I knew that this story was going to affect me forever; Huntington's Disease has no cure.

      Boston Police Officer Joe O'Brien and Rosie, his devoted wife, raise their four children with the bumps, bruises, joys and tears within a typical middle class family tradition. Joe has no idea that he has within him a monster that will devour his future and potentially that of his children.

      Police work is Joe's life. Period. He can't imagine life without his badge. When Joe begins to act bizarrely, his wife and closest co-workers are concerned for his job and his future. Driven by circumstance to get medical help, Joe learns he has Huntington's Disease. He struggles to continue in his job as long as he can but the day comes when the truth must be revealed; a man who has sudden outbursts of inappropriate behavior and body tics cannot continue to serve and protect the public.

      The story from here is heart breaking but the author uses a warm and loving hand in telling it. When there are times I felt the story slowed a little I considered how a "real" family would accept and handle the terrible news. Life in a middle class family is challenging enough without turning everyone's world upside down overnight.

      Joe learns that not only will he die of this disease but this insidious disease may already be lurking within his children dooming their future as well. There is a medical test that will reveal with fairly accurate certainty if an individual has Huntington's Disease within them at birth. Each of Joe's children must decide for themselves if they want to know if they have the disease.
      Would you want to know if you have it? That is the question they all must answer for themselves. And Rosie, dear Rosie, must face losing not only her husband but potentially all her children as well.

      I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning how to live and die with dignity. It is not an easy read but it was written with compassion and love. You feel the pain each member of this family struggles to mute as they try to live as best they can under the circumstances. They characters feel real and you are so sad for them when you finish the book.
    • 4/5
      So sad. I was crying several times. Three tissues. I felt slightly cheated not to know if the youngest daughter had it. But all in all a very touching book about love family faith and hope.
    • 4/5
      Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a digital advanced copy of Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova in exchange for my honest opinion.Lisa Genova is a fantastic author who entertains us while she is educating us about debilitating neurological diseases. Huntington's Disease is the subject of her latest novel and it's another winner. After reading it, I feel as though I know about this disease and how it affects not only the individual (Joe) who has it, but his entire family as well.Since children have a 50/50 chance of inheriting the HD gene from a parent who has it, if tests show they have the gene, they will get HD eventually. Much of this novel centers around one of the daughters (Katie) who can't decide whether or not she wants to find out if she carries the gene. There are lots of heart-wrenching scenes, mostly through Katie's eyes, as her father progresses through this horrible disease.I would have given this novel 5 Stars but two things bothered me: (1) as the wife of a retired police officer, it was not realistic for Joe to continue working once he started having HD's symptoms, it was just too risky not only to him but to his fellow officers and the public; and, (2) the ending left me feeling up-in-the-air! I can't say much about that without giving it away, but I did not like the ending.
    • 5/5
      When Joe O'Brien, Boston policeman in the prime of his life, developers strange symptoms, he is diagnosed with Huntington's disease. The offspring of people with this genetic trait have a 50 percent chance of also having this. Joe and his wife have four children who must decide how they will handle this possibility. The story certainly explains not only the disease and its progression, but the effect on all involved. Excellent!
    • 5/5
      Lisa Genova is known for writing about difficult medical situations involving the brain and drawing the reader into the character's story while still imparting a lot of information about the medical condition. This time the condition is Huntington's disease, a genetic neurodegenerative disease which has no cure and no good treatments. Joe O'Brien is a 43 year-old Boston policeman who begins to experience symptoms of Huntington's although he attributes it to tiredness and getting older. When he eventually goes to a doctor and is diagnosed, he is devastated to learn that this is a genetically inherited disease which will kill him in 10-20 years. And then he learns that each of his 4 children have a 50/50 chance of inheriting the disease from him. Should they have the genetic test to determine if they have the defective gene knowing that , if they do, they will definitely become symptomatic and die at an early age? And what if some are gene positive and some are gene negative. How will that affect their relationships? With a Ph.D. in neuroscience, Ms Genova writes with authority on subjects involving brain disorders and pulls the reader into the human story as well.
    • 5/5
      To say that I was enthralled by this book from page 1 would not be an exaggeration; but then any reader of Lisa Genova's earlier books would expect that. The story of the O'Briens's battle with Huntington's, a neuro-degenerative disease, as told by Genova was heartrending. When Joe, a Boston area cop and his wife, Rosie, first hear Joe's diagnosis they are shocked but when they learn of its implications for their children and future grandchildren they are devastated. I cried with the family and smiled at the attempt at humor in a bad situation. She also uses the book to talk about life in general- as in it occurring to Joe that the best anyone can hope for in life is to have "someone you love to stagger through the hard times with." Oh that we could be so accepting of the hand that fate deals us!
    • 3/5
      Huntington's disease. What a cruel and unforgiving disease. I've never heard of this disease until I read this book and Lisa Genova does a wonderful job of letting you know exactly what it is and what one can expect if ever diagnosed gene positive.The story is about a family that is forced to cope with HD when Joe (or dad) is diagnosed gene positive. Joe - I loved Joe - struggles with not letting the disease win and setting a good example for his family especially since all 4 of his children have a 50/50 chance of also getting the disease.The ending... I was tired when I hit the ending and I had to flip back to make sure I read that right, to make sure I didn't miss something with my tired mind. I did not. I hated the end which is partly why I gave this book 2.5 stars (and not more). I felt let down with a lot of loose ends and questions that weren't answered. I like answers but this book ended with uncertainty. An epilogue would've been perfect, I feel like the story just stopped. There was NO ending.Another reason for 2.5 stars (and not more) was that while the subject matter was intriguing the story was boring in a lot of places. I caught myself skimming more than once.
    • 5/5
      I have not yet read Lisa Genova’s two previous books, but I certainly will now. The O’Brien family is one that most people can relate to. The father Joe is a policemen. Oldest son JJ is a fireman, and he and his wife have just gotten pregnant with their first child. Daughter Meghan is a ballet dancer. Katie teaches yoga. Patrick, the youngest, is basically a goof-off. Typical family, until Joe starts dropping things, begins having violent outbursts and involuntary muscular movements. He finally is diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. According to an Internet site, Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disorder that affects the brain. Each person whose parent has HD has a 50% chance of inheriting the disorder. Onset of symptoms range from 35-50 years old. Juvenile cases occur in people less than 20 years of age. Symptoms are mild at first and are often barely noticeable but usually worsen over 15-20 years. Physical symptoms may include: abnormal body movements that worsen over time, including sudden jerks or uncontrolled movements of the limbs or trunk, facial grimacing, walking that is unsteady or dance-like; difficulty with eating, dressing, sitting, and caring for oneself; difficulty swallowing, grunting or poor articulation of speech, weight loss.Lisa Genova did an amazing job of writing how Joe slowly descends into a life obsessed with HD. With great sensitivity, she explores how each member of the family deals with the news. Each of the children struggle with the decision of whether to be tested or not. The fear the entire family has that the unborn baby may have inherited the gene felt so real. Ms. Genova also has the family learning to depend upon friends in time of greatest need. Joe, once a very proud man, now has to deal with the horrified looks he gets from people due to loss of control of his own body. But his fellow police buddies have his back. Joe actually comes up with a humorous way of dealing with people’s stares. Loved it!The courage of the family and how each member chooses to deal with the future was just so realistic. However I thought I would feel, some member of the family describes feeling the same way. These characters are so very real. They are not perfect; they reveal their fears, their anger, their confusion. They could be our neighbors, our friends, or they could be us.
    • 5/5
      Imagine you've seemed jittery and moody lately, your speech is slurring occasionally, and man, those involuntary twitches in your face and leg are driving you and those around you batsh%! crazy. These are just some of the symptons of Huntington's Disease, a heritary affliction that lies dormant in you until you are approaching middle age and then gives you 10 years more after that. Ten torturous years, because you will be fully aware of your slide into hell. So by the time you find out you have HD, you have already had your own children, all of whom have a 50/50 chance of having it themselves, and a 50/50 chance of passing it on to their kids, and so on and so on and so on.Such is the story of Joe O'Brien and his doomed family. As in Still Alice, the author gives us another tragic disease and asks the question, would you want to know if you are carrying the gene, or not?Such a story could be a downer, so the author balances it perfectly with scenes of this amazing family. Joe and his saint of a wife Rosie, adult children Patrick, JJ, Meghan, and Katie. Mostly we have Joe's perspective alternated with Katie's. Told with humor and tenderness, this is a story that will resonate with you and bring some tears to your eyes.Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to preview and review this wonderful book.
    • 5/5
      I have become a huge fan of Lisa Genova's work, and this one did not disappoint. I loved it from start to finish, although the hanging at the end is a little bit cruel. Lisa Genova's experience as a Neuroscientist brings so much credibility and truth behind the story. Her writing is easy to read and captivating. While reading this book, you feel like you are going step for step with this family who are going through the trials and tribulations of Huntington's disease. I have given this book 5 stars, and recommend for people to read this book.
    • 4/5
      Excellent book about a family's experience with a chronic and terminal disease diagnosis and how it affects the whole family. This "Compassionate Awareness" is a critical perspective for anyone in the helping professions to understand not only how a disease affects the patient but how it impacts his job, his family, friends and his self image. Fabulous new book from the author of "Still Alice".
    • 4/5
      The subject is Huntington’s, a cruel disease. Until I read this novel I never knew how cruel HD is. The story’s HEART, is the O’Brien family. They are the human beings that are brought to life in this novel. A heartbreaking yet inspiring story of this family's struggle to find a way to continue to live & love despite HD.Thank you to the Afterword Society for giving me the opportunity to read this enlightening book.
    • 3/5
      Not nearly as good as Still alice and Every Note Played, but good insight into HD
    • 5/5
      A special thank you to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. One of my favorite authors, Lisa Genova, award-winning New York Times bestselling author, and neuroscientist is at the "top-of-her-game" with riveting, INSIDE THE O'BRIENS. An extraordinary story and one you will not soon forget, long after the book ends. Meet the O’Briens. A strong Irish Catholic family in Charlestown, a neighborhood of Boston only one square mile between Charles and Mystic Rivers, divided into two neighborhoods. The Bottom of the Hill – the poor Irish and the Top of the Hill by St. Francis Church home to the Lace Curtain Irish. Many of the families live in tight rows of triple decker homes called Townies and they all know one another. Joe and Rosie live on the first floor, son- twenty-three year old Patrick lives with them. JJ, the older son and his wife Colleen live on the second floor, and single daughters Katie and Meghan are roommates and live on the third floor, and of course lovable dog, Yaz. However, this happy family is about to have their world crushed, with news which will forever change their lives. Father: Joe O’Brien, third generation, Irish. Police officer, a tough guy, age 43, dad of four, husband, loves his beer, family, work and his sports. His mother died of HD (except he just thought she was a drunk and crazy at the time). He is about to face the horrific disease. There is a fifty-percent chance it can passed along if the gene is present and it will not be pretty. What will happen if he can no longer be the strong one of the family? Mother: Rosie, wife and mother of four, loves her weekly family Sunday suppers. She is a devoted Irish Catholic - religious. All her children still reside in the family home on different floors and would do anything for her family, but do not be late for Sunday supper. Can she survive being the caretaker and watch her family fall apart in front of her? Will her strong faith be tested? JJ: Son, A firefighter, and husband to Coleen, a devoted man and expecting a child on the way. Will his future be secure or will he have the gene? What about this family?Megan: Daughter. Beautiful and talented professional ballet dancer with the Boston Ballet with a rigorous schedule. A hard worker and Katie is quite envious of her. She is full of life. Could this disease get to her?Katie: Daughter. Teaches yoga, the baby girl, and feels a little left out and not quite as smart as her older sister; always living in her shadow. She would love to move away from this town, meet a guy, and have her own yoga studio; however, she barely makes enough to survive. She loves her job and loves her inspiratinal quotes written all over her walls – and now she has a love interest she is keeping from the family. Could she have the disease? If so, does she want to know and how will it change her relationship and future? Patrick: Son. Young, single, wild and crazy. A bartender at the local pub, stays out all night partying, dates around, and not very dependable (however, keeps lively humor going in the family). He is always late to family supper, but charming in his own way. He definitely does not want to have the test to see if he has the HD gene (he would rather jump off a bridge).An emotional, and compelling story of a family wrecked by HD. From the fears, pain, denial, sadness to love, coping, escape, to acceptance. The scene with Katie and Joe was award-winning the way she took control and gave her dad the most important message of love to keep him strong as a role model for them all – and the yoga interaction was priceless! (Loved the t-shirts, and the humor mixed with the tragedy, to keep you smiling and crying at the same time). An engaging thought-provoking page-turner which grips you from beginning to end. No one can tell it like, Lisa Genova. Thank you for telling this incredible story. On a personal note, I dated a guy several years ago in Atlanta and his father had HD. I saw firsthand, the devastation and destruction, both emotional and physical which wrecked havoc on everyone in the family and loved ones—heartbreaking.Genova tackles highly charged HD-Huntington's Disease with love, compassion, incredible insights, understanding, emotion, research, compassion, and humor. Call to Action: In addition to creating compassionate awareness of the disease HD, Lisa has created a call to action, by requesting every reader to make a donation to the HD Human Biology Project, an innovative research project aimed at understanding the biology of Huntington’s which is necessary for discovering the course. Together we can be part of the progress that will lead to the cure of one of the cruelest diseases known to man, and currently no treatment and no cure. If you loved Still Alice, Left Neglected, and Love Anthony; Inside the O'Briens (have read all of her books), tops the chart and will exceed all your expectations! Highly recommend. If you have not read Genova' previous books, you are missing out. Would love to be a visitor for the O'Briens' Sunday night weekly suppers-what a strong family bond.
    • 4/5
      I have to agree with other reviewers of this book - Lisa Genova's newest book is bit disappointing when compared to Still Alice. Perhaps I would've found it more compelling if I had read it first, and didn't have Still Alice to compare it to. The characters were somewhat mediocre, and the setup felt very similar to Still Alice, yet it seemed like Genova didn't really express the full horror that is Huntington's Disease. Personally, I wanted her to delve deeper into it.... the disease itself felt less important than the discovery of the disease and the decision to get tested or not. I liked that we got to see two sides to the story - the father, who originally is diagnosed, and the daughter who has to deal with the diagnosis and decide whether to get tested herself. Overall, it was a good book, but not quite as good as Still Alice.
    • 4/5
      Lisa Genova has written another profound treatise on a medical condition that is not fully understood by many people, including myself. I knew about Huntington's Disease, and I had some idea how debilitating and horrific this disease is. I didn't know the full extent of the damage it causes, and I didn't consider the cost it demands from family members of those who suffer from it. Ms. Genova has shown us this in this work of fiction, that doesn't feel like a work of fiction. We have all the ugly details of the symptoms, and the fall out to the person who has the disease, and to that person's immediate family. The children's stories are the worst because they know that there is a 50-50 chance that they have inherited the gene sequence and a 100% chance that they will get Huntington's later in life if they have the sequence. This heartrending story is all told through the O'Brien family. Joe is a Boston police officer, who loves his job and his family (a wife and four children). His world all comes crashing down when he is tested after some symptoms start to show up, and he finds out he has Huntington's. Joe's struggle, along with his family's struggles are clearly depicted in this novel. It is a novel of great heartache, and sadness, but also one of courage and love. Humankind is capable of great courage and understanding. Maybe we don't always see it, but I'd like to think that it is there and that it's very strong. This is a very profound and illuminating book that will open your eyes to the monster that is called Huntington's Disease.
    • 5/5
      (read wonderfully on audiobook by Skipp Sudduth)As she brought attention and understanding to Alzheimer's disease in her book Still Alice, so she does with Huntington's Disease in this insightful and heartbreaking story of a family facing a new reality. Huntington's is a genetic and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disease that each offspring of the afflicted family member has a 50% chance of inheriting. A blood test can determine if a person is gene positive or negative and once Joe O'Brien, the patriarch of this family, learns he has inherited it from his mother, it is up to each of his 4 children to decide if they want to find out whether they, too, have inherited the gene. The ramifications of the disease, which typically begin to manifest in middle adulthood, affect each of them in different ways and ultimately determine their decisions. Genova, a neuroscientist herself, brings a real and intimate awareness of this disease to the general reading public in a way that is accessible and thought-provoking. As with Still Alice, this one had me thinking about it long after the last page.I actually have another book on my physical shelf called Mapping Fate, subtitled A Memoir of Family, Risk and Genetic Research, by Alice Wexler. It was published 20 years ago and I am curious to read that now, as both a follow-up to my reading of Genova's book and also as a kind of look back, a prequel of sorts to what we know now about HD. Genova's book is very new, very contemporary; it mentions very recent events such as the Boston Marathon bomber, for example. Genova's is also fiction while Wexler's is not.
    • 5/5
      I loved Lisa Genova’s book Love Anthony so I was very excited to get my hands on her newest book, Inside the O’Briens. Genova puts her background in neuroscience to use again, this time to explore Huntington’s disease. I knew next to nothing about the disease going into the book. It is an awful degenerative disease with a horrible prognosis. There is no treatment or cure.The child of someone who has Huntington’s has a 50/50 chance of having the gene that causes it. If one has the gene, then one will get the disease. Since the only cause of the disease is having the gene, one can go through genetic testing at any time to determine if one is gene positive. This raises an interesting dilemma. If you had a parent with Huntington’s, would you want to know if you will also have it? Especially knowing that your life will be significantly shortened?This novel explores both what Joe is going through as a person living with Huntington’s and what life is like for Joe’s children, who must decide whether or not they want genetic testing themselves. Joe’s life as the disease progresses is heartbreaking. He goes from being a tough police officer who is always in control to someone who needs to rely heavily on others in a relatively short period of time. Genova does a fantastic job of getting into Joe’s mind and the complex emotions the disease’s progression brings up for him.With regard to Joe’s children, Genova focuses Katie, Joe’s youngest daughter. The novel alternates between Joe’s point of view and Katie’s point of view. Katie struggles immensely with whether or not to get tested. How will her future be affected if she’s gene positive? What will happen with her relationship with her boyfriend Felix? If she’s positive, will he want to stay with her, knowing that the only way to have kids will be through IVF? Is it fair to stay with him on the chance that she is gene positive and he would end up having to be her care taker? Will not knowing make her life more or less stressful? Genova starts each section of the book with a fact or two about Huntington’s. Once of them was that over 90% of the children of people with Huntington’s choose NOT to get tested. That seems like a staggeringly high number to me.This book brings up so many thoughtful questions though wonderful characters and a great story. It’s the first book I’ve read in quite a while that I could not put down. I read it in two days. Joe and Katie’s struggles were authentic and made me empathize with them. I felt like I was right there in the thick of it with them.A word of warning. This book ended way before I thought it was going to. I read it on iBooks and was surprised when it ended about 20 pages before I thought it was going to. The book is not one that wraps up every plot point in a neat little bow. I was just left staring at my iPad with my mouth hanging open, stunned that it was over all ready. The good news is that the extra 20 or so pages are a discussion guide and author interview both of which were interesting. I liked reading about Genova’s writing process in the interview. This book would make an excellent book club selection and the discussion guide would be a great supplement for a group discussion. This book is definitely in my top five reads of 2015 – I highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Once again, Lisa Genova teaches readers about an incurable disease through the eyes of a fictional family. This time it's Huntington's Disease, a feared and debilitating muscular disorder. Joe, the 45 year old policeman, patriarch of an Irish Catholic family living in Boston is diagnosed with Huntingtons. His mother died from the disease when he was young, but he was always lead to believe that she died of alcoholism. Because of that, his diagnosis of this genetic disease is totally unexpected and particularly hard to accept. Worse yet is the fact that he has four grown children who each now carry a 50/50 chance of also inheriting the disease.Ms.Genova always does a masterful job of bringing a story to life and creating just the right characters to tell her tale. I have enjoyed reading her previous books about Left Affected brain disorder and Alzheimer's disease. I was pleased to find that this book, "Inside the O'Briens", was equally well written. I felt the pain of the characters as they struggled with their fears and the daily uncertainty that living under this threat held for them. I could feel the frustration that Joe felt in facing a future that was so different from what he had envisioned, as well as the tension of the children as they contemplated whether to go though genetic testing or be willing to keep hoping, even if it was false, that they wouldn't wind up like their dad. Ultimately the book brings out the strength that family can provide in all situations when they truly care about each other.I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read and enjoyed Ms. Genova's previous books:"Left Neglected" or "Still Alice". It will appeal to anyone with an interest in genetic disease or how families deal with the devastation caused by them. This book's focus on family relationships will also be attractive to many readers.I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
    • 3/5
      Novel about a family experiencing a father's life with Huntington's Disease