Joe O'Brien and his family live in Charlestown in the North End of Boston and pride themselves on being Townies, Irish, and Catholic. He is a long-time cop and lives for his boisterous family and his job.
Genova brings Joe and his family to life and I felt I knew them all. His feisty wife Rosie, two daughters and two sons were all I thought about for days after finishing this book.
Joe has Huntington's, a disease I had heard of, but knew nothing about. Just like in Still Alice, Genova shows the reader what it would be like to live with Huntington's and what it would be like to watch a loved one cope with a devastating disease. Rosie knows something is wrong way before Joe notices anything. Little by little, he can't control the involuntary movements his body makes - in fact, he isn't even aware his body is moving. Perhaps most heartbreaking of all, his children have a 50% chance of inheriting this monster.
***** Stars
I really couldn't wait to read Inside the O'Briens - thank you Net Galley for giving me an advance copy.
