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  • Inside the O'Briens

  • A Novel
  • By: Lisa Genova
  • Narrated by: Skipp Sudduth
  • Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (58 ratings)

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Inside the O'Briens

By: Lisa Genova
Narrated by: Skipp Sudduth
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Summary

From award-winning, New York Times best-selling author 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 44-year-old Boston police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, a proud father of four children in their 20s, and a respected, seasoned law enforcement officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to aging and the cumulative physical and psychological 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 it is genetic. 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 their potential futures in their father's escalating symptoms, the children struggle with the questions this test imposes on their young adult lives, including his youngest, 21-year-old Katie. 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, he struggles to maintain his identity and sense of purpose. How can he find hope in a situation that feels hopeless? How can he find courage without any armor or weapons? What else might he be able to pass down to his children other than a fatal disease? Where is the honor in living and dying with Huntington's?

©2015 Lisa Genova (P)2015 Simon & Schuster
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Critic reviews

"Skipp Sudduth's performance of Genova's exploration of Huntington's disease makes the science of this inherited, incurable, degenerative nerve disease very personal.... Sudduth's no-nonsense delivery and unemotional handling of this highly emotional subject are exactly right.... Clear-eyed and heartrending, this is top-notch listening." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Inside the O'Briens

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping, emotional, inspiring

Beautiful book about a family with Huntington's disease that really makes you appreciate life and each day you have.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lisa Genova delivers again

Great insight into Huntingtons, told through such good story telling you really feel you're a part of the characters. ends on a real cliff hanger though, I just want it to go on.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great book, shame about the ending.

Wonderful, but I really dislike endings which leave you not knowing...
I understand the point, but it's still annoying.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Heartbreaking - family life & Huntington's Disease

Beautifully and painfully described family life coming to terms with the tragedy of Huntington's Disease. I found it both highly informative and the characters well drawn. Highly recommend this audio book.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it.

Another fabulous book by Lisa Geneva. Touching, informative and entertaining. Really draws you in. Loved every minute.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Inside the O'Briens

Very sad, very depressing, but very well written Well researched and plenty of points of view

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Live life

Funny,touching,sad and inspiring. A lesson for living life,not just life with HD

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