PERFECT LIFE

ISBN: 0062419188

Author: Pollack, Eileen

Condition: New

A luminous and insightful novel that considers the moral complexities of scientific discovery and the sustaining nature of love.A young researcher at MIT, Jane Weiss is obsessed with finding the genetic marker for Valentines Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. Her pursuit is deeply personal-Valentines killed her mother, and she and her freewheeling sister, Laurel, could be genetic carriers; each has a fifty percent chance of developing the disease. Having seen firsthand the devastating effect Valentines had on her parents marriage, Jane is terrified she might become a burden on whomever she falls in love with and so steers clear of romantic entanglement. Then, the summer before her fathers second wedding, Jane falls hard for her future stepbrother, Willie. But Willies father also died from Valentines, raising the odds that their love will end in tragedy.When Willie bolts at a crucial moment in their relationship, Jane becomes obsessed with finding the genetic marker to the disease that threatens both their families. But if she succeeds in making history, will she and her sister have the courage to face the truth this newfound knowledge could hold for their lives? A Perfect Life is a novel of scientific and self discovery, about learning how to embrace life and love, no matter what may come. Eileen Pollack conjures a thought-provoking, emotionally resonant story of one womans brilliance and bravery as she confronts her deepest fears and desires-and comes to accept the inevitable and the unexpected.