"Double Helix" by Nancy Werlin

“Double Helix” by Nancy Werlin is a fascinating science fiction mystery about the horrors of Huntington’s disease and the mystery of genetics.

Huntington’s disease is a debilitating genetic disease that causes gradual insanity. The main character, Eli, lives with his father. His mother is in a nursing home, suffering in the late stages of Huntington’s disease. The book explores Eli’s reaction to his mother’s condition and the possibility that he himself may have the disorder. It also shows how this affects his relationship with other people. Along the way Eli uncovers long hidden secrets about himself and his mother.

I would recommend reading the book because it is entertainment, not necessarily because it is unique or well-written. The book is about average as far as writing quality, although it does have one quality that I dislike in a book: it uses first person. For example, I‘ll include a quote from the book:

“My knuckles were tapping out a random jumpy rhythm on the arm of the chair. I clenched my fist to stop it. I shifted my legs.”

I like to have a mental distance from the character, an impersonal, observer stance, rather than a direct connection with the character. This is just my personal opinion, though. Other than this minor flaw, I enjoyed reading the book.

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Inkweaver Review 2008-02-26T11:21:00-06:00

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