Fiction

Inside the O'Briens

Inside the O'Briens

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  • Create Date：2022-10-05 05:51:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lisa Genova
  • ISBN：1471142922
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Summary

The breathtaking new novel from the author of STILL ALICE， which was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore。

Joe O'Brien is a Boston cop; his physical stamina and methodical mind have seen him through decades policing the city streets， while raising a family with his wife Rosie。 When he starts committing uncharacteristic errors - mislaying his police weapon， trouble writing up reports， slurred speech - he attributes them to stress。 Finally， he agrees to see a doctor and is handed a terrifying， unexpected diagnosis: Huntington's disease。

Not only is Joe's life set to change beyond recognition， but each of his four grown children has a fifty-fifty chance of inheriting the disease。 Observing her potential future play out in his escalating symptoms， his pretty yoga teacher daughter Katie wrestles with how to make the most of the here and now， and how to care for her dad who is， inside， always an O'Brien。 Inside the O'Briens is a powerfully true and tender elegy to the resilience of the human spirit。

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Reviews

Christine ，

With each of Lisa Genova’s books， I realize how similar the other neurodegenerative diseases are similar to my own diagnosis of ALS。 HD and ALS are death sentences。 We don’t know how long we have。 The disease trajectory is the same， with the person eventually being locked in their body with their mind intact。 This is a story with a family battling Huntington’s， much like familial ALS。 Many of the same challenges。I may have appreciated this more than the typical healthy person because I have ALS。 With each of Lisa Genova’s books， I realize how similar the other neurodegenerative diseases are similar to my own diagnosis of ALS。 HD and ALS are death sentences。 We don’t know how long we have。 The disease trajectory is the same， with the person eventually being locked in their body with their mind intact。 This is a story with a family battling Huntington’s， much like familial ALS。 Many of the same challenges。I may have appreciated this more than the typical healthy person because I have ALS。 It was a way of learning about Huntington's through a Day in the life of someone experiencing it。 。。。more

Gil-or （readingbooksinisrael） ，

I didn't enjoy this as much as Still Alice， but I did like it。 I felt slightly cheated by the ending， though I know why she chose to do it that way。 I didn't enjoy this as much as Still Alice， but I did like it。 I felt slightly cheated by the ending， though I know why she chose to do it that way。 。。。more

Zully San Wong ，

El destino de los O’Brien。Lisa Genova。 Lectura del 22 al 29 Septiembre， 2022。 3/5 ¿Qué harías si supieras que vas a morir exactamente en 20 años a partir de hoy？ Este libro trata de un drama familiar sobre la EH （Enfermedad de Huntington）。Joe， el papá y policía de Boston， empieza a presentar comportamientos extraños y cuando se hace revisar se entera que tiene la EH， enfermedad que se transmite genéticamente y que la obtuvo de su mamá。 Al ser genética， sus cuatro hijos tienen el cincuenta por ci El destino de los O’Brien。Lisa Genova。 Lectura del 22 al 29 Septiembre， 2022。 3/5 ¿Qué harías si supieras que vas a morir exactamente en 20 años a partir de hoy？ Este libro trata de un drama familiar sobre la EH （Enfermedad de Huntington）。Joe， el papá y policía de Boston， empieza a presentar comportamientos extraños y cuando se hace revisar se entera que tiene la EH， enfermedad que se transmite genéticamente y que la obtuvo de su mamá。 Al ser genética， sus cuatro hijos tienen el cincuenta por ciento de probabilidad de tenerla， y es entonces donde se empieza a vivir el drama familiar。En la novela vas descubriendo el amor que se tienen entre Joe y Rose， que a pesar del duro futuro que le toca a cada uno， el amor de ellos es más fuerte y los pone a prueba constantemente。Sus hijos ya grandes， tienen el peso en sus hombros de saber， a través de una prueba， si van a padecer o no la EH dentro de 10 a 20 años。 Pero。。 Vale la pena o no hacérsela？ Vale la pena saber si vas a morir por EH o no？Te muestra ese lado de responsabilidad que tienes contigo mismo y con los demás。 Los síntomas se presentan desde los 35 a 45 años en promedio， pero hasta ese entonces puedes tener una vida muy buena e intensa， que saber o no de qué vas a morir y cuándo no debería impedirte ser feliz。Me gustó que más allá del drama de cómo sobrellevan la enfermedad individualmente y en familia， la novela te muestra cómo era la familia desde dentro de su entorno; cómo era cada uno y cómo se llevaban entre ellos; te hace identificar con algunas situaciones y compartir sentimientos。Este libro no te cambia la vida， pero si te hace reflexionar， ser más comprensivo y sobre todo tener conciencia que el tiempo es lo más valioso que uno tiene y que no está para malgastarlo。 Me hizo botar algunas lágrimas y sacar algunas sonrisas。 。。。more

Marjorie Elwood ，

Another heart-wrenching fictional work by Lisa Genova， author of Still Alice。 It’s told from the point of view of Joe， a cop， in a clipped， no-nonsense voice。 Joe is unexpectedly diagnosed with Huntington’s disease and this is the gritty tale of his descent into it。 The second portion of the book is told from the point of view of his youngest daughter， Katie， and the sections alternate after that。Like Genova’s other books， this explores the fundamentals of how utterly horrible brain diseases are Another heart-wrenching fictional work by Lisa Genova， author of Still Alice。 It’s told from the point of view of Joe， a cop， in a clipped， no-nonsense voice。 Joe is unexpectedly diagnosed with Huntington’s disease and this is the gritty tale of his descent into it。 The second portion of the book is told from the point of view of his youngest daughter， Katie， and the sections alternate after that。Like Genova’s other books， this explores the fundamentals of how utterly horrible brain diseases are – the loss of self， of who you are – but then there’s the realization that – at least with Huntington’s – your mind and soul still shine out。 There are interesting parallels between Joe being held hostage by his body and Katie being held hostage by her fears and her childhood mental constructs。This reminded me of a Jodi Picoult novel in the sense that it’s compelling and fast-paced but perhaps a little formulaic。 。。。more

High Plains Library District ，

Another heart-wrenching fictional work by Lisa Genova， author of Still Alice。 It’s told from the point of view of Joe， a cop， in a clipped， no-nonsense voice。 Joe is unexpectedly diagnosed with Huntington’s disease and this is the gritty tale of his descent into it。 The second portion of the book is told from the point of view of his youngest daughter， Katie， and the sections alternate after that。Like Genova’s other books， this explores the fundamentals of how utterly horrible brain diseases are Another heart-wrenching fictional work by Lisa Genova， author of Still Alice。 It’s told from the point of view of Joe， a cop， in a clipped， no-nonsense voice。 Joe is unexpectedly diagnosed with Huntington’s disease and this is the gritty tale of his descent into it。 The second portion of the book is told from the point of view of his youngest daughter， Katie， and the sections alternate after that。Like Genova’s other books， this explores the fundamentals of how utterly horrible brain diseases are – the loss of self， of who you are – but then there’s the realization that – at least with Huntington’s – your mind and soul still shine out。 There are interesting parallels between Joe being held hostage by his body and Katie being held hostage by her fears and her childhood mental constructs。This reminded me of a Jodi Picoult novel in the sense that it’s compelling and fast-paced but perhaps a little formulaic。-Marjorie 。。。more

Kiersten Prenger ，

GreatExcellent book！ Loved the specific medical information included。 Definitely a tear jerker！ Would love to read more by this author

SometimesWonderland ，

Meine MeinungAllgemeinDer Einstieg in das Buch fiel mir nur bedingt leicht。 Die Sichtweise ging von Joe aus und kam für mich rüber wie ein typischer Kerl。 Er lebt für seinen Beruf und seine Familie und scheint zunächst sehr pragmatisch。 Doch schnell lebte ich mich in seiner Welt ein。 Er lebt mit seiner Familie in Boston und führt - durch seine Frau - ein relativ strenges katholisches Leben。 Der Glaube kommt häufig im Buch vor， doch nicht übermäßig störend。Doch kaum hat man sich in Joes Welt eing Meine MeinungAllgemeinDer Einstieg in das Buch fiel mir nur bedingt leicht。 Die Sichtweise ging von Joe aus und kam für mich rüber wie ein typischer Kerl。 Er lebt für seinen Beruf und seine Familie und scheint zunächst sehr pragmatisch。 Doch schnell lebte ich mich in seiner Welt ein。 Er lebt mit seiner Familie in Boston und führt - durch seine Frau - ein relativ strenges katholisches Leben。 Der Glaube kommt häufig im Buch vor， doch nicht übermäßig störend。Doch kaum hat man sich in Joes Welt eingelebt kommt die Diagnose: Huntington。 Schon ziemlich nah am Anfang beginnen Joes Symptome und man fiebert der Diagnose entgegen。 Positiv， wie auch negativ。 Endlich kann Joe benennen， was mit ihm los ist， doch das schmälert die Tatsachen nicht。 Mir schlug das Herz höher， als die Diagnose ausgesprochen wurde und die Welt seiner Frau in sich zusammenfällt。 Den Joe will es zunächst nicht wahrhaben und so geschieht es， dass man in dem Buch den Prozess verfolgen kann， wie Joe körperlich und seelisch abbaut und langsam die Huntington nicht mehr ignorieren kann。Sehr gut gefallen hat mir， wie gut recherchiert das Buch ist。 Joe - und so auch man selbst - wird von seinem Arzt über die Krankheit aufgeklärt。 Doch zwischendurch gibt es auch mal ein oder zwei Seiten， die nur Infos über den Verlauf， die Vererbung und die Heilung preisgeben。 So kann man sich bewusst auch selber mit der Krankheit befassen。Das Buch ist in drei Teile unterteilt und im zweiten ging es mit einer Tochter Joes weiter。 Huntington ist zu 50% vererbbar und somit muss jedes seiner Kinder nun mit der Gewissheit leben， es kriegen zu können。 Die Möglichkeit besteht， sich testen zu lassen。 Aber möchten die Kinder das， oder doch lieber auf gut Glück ihr Leben leben？ Kathy ist sich dabei total unsicher。 Zig Sachen in ihrem Leben machen sie schlaflos。 Sie will über nichts nachdenken， keine Entscheidungen treffen， da alles droht sie zu überfordern。 Mir gefiel es aus der Sicht eines "Ahnungslosen" lesen zu dürfen。 Wie geht man mit dem Wissen um， dass man mit einer 50%igen Wahrscheinlichkeit eine unheilbare Krankheit hat？ Und wie lässt es sich damit leben， den eigenen Vater beim körperlichen und geistigen Verfall zuzusehen？Im letzten Teil kann man dann aus beiden Sichten lesen und so langsam haben alle ihren Weg gefunden， mit dieser Krankheit umzugehen。 Es gab nur zwei Faktoren， die mich am Ende noch störten: Zum einen wollte der Vater an einer Forschung teilnehmen， von der man nur ein weiteres Mal sehr kurz gelesen hat， zum anderen wollte die Tochter sich testen lassen und ist sich bis zum Ende des Buches unschlüssig， ob sie das Ergebnis wirklich wissen möchte。 （Spoiler！） In dem Buch ging es ja mehr darum， wie die Personen mit dem Wissen leben。 Trotzdem endet das Buch ohne nun zu wissen， ob Kathy sich umsonst Sorgen gemacht hat。 Irgendwie hat mir das noch gefehlt。 （Spoiler Ende！）Insgesamt muss ich sagen， dass ich das Buch großteils wirklich sehr bedrückend fand und es zum Nachdenken definitiv anregen konnte。 Ich fand es zum Beispiel sehr erschreckend， wie wenig Hilfe Menschen mit unheilbaren Krankheiten doch bekommen。 Wie drastisch zum Beispiel die Rente runtergeht， obwohl man treu viele Jahrzehnte gearbeitet hat und wie wenig die Familie nach dem Ende an Hilfe bekommt。 Die Konsequenzen werden sehr direkt aufgelistet。Die Autorin schreibt oftmals spannende Kapitelanfänge， sodass man nur denken kann， dass erneut etwas schreckliches passiert。 Das Gute daran war， dass man nicht wusste， wann wirklich was schlimmes geschieht und wann nicht。 So bleibt die Spannung konstant bestehen。CharaktereIm großen und ganzen liest man nur von der Familie O'Brien。 Dazu gehören die Eltern Joe und Rosie und die Geschwister Katie， JJ， Patrick und Meghan。 Ebenfalls JJs Frau Colleen und Kathys Freund Felix。Sie alle haben einen eigenen Charakter und ich konnte zu jedem eine Beziehung aufbauen。 Ob nun positiv oder negativ。 Jeder hatte seine Macken und sein eigenes Leben und trotzdem war der Familienzusammenhalt sehr wichtig。 Das alles kam sehr gut zum Vorschein。In erster Linie hat man natürlich von Joe und Kathy mitbekommen。Joe wächst einem ans Herz。 Als Mann redet er nicht viel und durch seine Krankheit noch weniger。 Doch seine Gedanken sind für den Leser real。 Sie wirken echt。 Und sie verändern sich。 Selbst der stärkste Mann hat sein Päckchen zu tragen und leidet darunter， doch immer wieder hat es mich erfreut， wie stark die Liebe zu seiner Familie ihn immer wieder machen konnte。Kathy ist noch jung und oftmals dachte ich mir， dass sie einfach Angst vor ihrer Zukunft hat。 Angst die falschen Entscheidungen zu treffen。 Es gibt so viele große Themen in ihrem Leben und doch weiß sie nicht， was sie tun soll。 Doch ich hatte das Gefühl， dass sie schon wusste， was ihr Herz wollte， doch in einem moralischen Konflikt stand。 Wie sich das alles im Nachhinein löste， war sehr schön zu lesen。Außerdem wurde jeder in der Familie irgendwie mit eingebunden。 Der Einzige der etwas unterging war Patrick， doch gegen Ende lichtet sich auch das。Schreibstil & SichtweiseDurch den Schreibstil gewann das Buch an Authentizität。 Ich konnte mit den Charakteren mitfühlen und oftmals wurde mein Herz ganz schwer， wenn über die Folgen der Krankheit gesprochen wurde。Geschrieben wurde das Buch aus den Sichten von Joe （dem Vater） und Kathy （seiner Tochter） in der dritten Person。Cover & TitelDas Cover finde ich ganz okay。 Keines， was mich sofort magisch anziehen würde。 Das Pärchen auf dem Cover ordne ich eher Kathy und Felix zu。 Die Beziehung zwischen den beiden fand ich jedoch nicht so ausschlaggebend， als das es auf das Cover müsste。 Auch die Katze dort verwirrt mich etwas， da die Familie einen Hund besitzt。 Das fröhliche helle blau gefällt mir allerdings sehr gut。 Ebenfalls， dass die Personen in weiß gemalt wurden （Verkörperung von Allem。）Auch der Titel ist ein wenig gewöhnungsbedürftig， da sich das Buch in erster Linie darum dreht， wie man mit dieser Krankheit bzw dem Wissen， dass man sie hat/haben könnte lebt。 Erst gegen Ende finden die Protagonisten ihren Weg damit zu leben und gewinnen wieder etwas an Fröhlichkeit。 Deshalb sehe ich den Titel eher als Aufforderung auf。BesonderheitAm Ende ruft die Autorin den Leser dazu auf， für die Huntington Medizinforschung zu spenden。 Dafür hat sich einen kleinen Infopost eingerichtet， den ihr hier finden könnt:Lisa Genova zur Huntington KrankheitZitat"Und so sind sie nun hier， in der Praxis irgendeines schicken Bewegungsspezialisten。 Das erscheint Joe absolut übertrieben für einen erschöpften Mann mit einem schlimmen Knie。"- Position 1236FazitDieses Buch regt definitiv zum Nachdenken an。 Ein kleiner Einblick in die Gefühlswelt eines unheilbar Kranken und die Angst vorm krank sein。 Eine Menge an Authentizität zieht einen förmlich durch das Buch und man möchte wissen， wie es weitergeht。Ein offenes Buch， was nicht zu verstecken droht， sondern versucht aufzuklären。 Definitiv ein Must-Read！ 。。。more

Debbie McCall ，

Eye opening & compassion building

Paula L ，

This book was heart wrenching while reminding the reader to live each moment to it’s fullest for it might be your last。 The author did a great job developing each member of the O’Brien family。 I really liked the book but I was not eager to pick it up as often as other books。 This might be caused by the heaviness of the subject。 Since I have another 4 books borrowed from the library I upped the speed and pushed my way through。 The ending made me scream “the author didn’t just do that， REALLY？” I This book was heart wrenching while reminding the reader to live each moment to it’s fullest for it might be your last。 The author did a great job developing each member of the O’Brien family。 I really liked the book but I was not eager to pick it up as often as other books。 This might be caused by the heaviness of the subject。 Since I have another 4 books borrowed from the library I upped the speed and pushed my way through。 The ending made me scream “the author didn’t just do that， REALLY？” I wasn’t expecting this ending！ 。。。more

Lamia ，

its a good story but not a great story。 the inner turmoil of the characters is well written and some parts are touching， but overall this was just an ok read。 i dont think this would strike as emotionally riveting or inspiring to anyone who has not experienced a life changing diagnosis for them/a loved one。

Jennifer ，

4 1/2 stars。 Would've given it 5 if it weren't for the cheap shot ending。 4 1/2 stars。 Would've given it 5 if it weren't for the cheap shot ending。 。。。more

Darlene ，

This book was an easy read， yet I felt the author put how Huntington's Disease is， in a way that we can understand。 She did not "Doctor it up" with big words， that Doctor's use and I love how she attached us to an everyday family and how they had to deal with it。 I knew nothing about Huntington's Disease before reading this book。 I can't wait to read her other books。 This book was an easy read， yet I felt the author put how Huntington's Disease is， in a way that we can understand。 She did not "Doctor it up" with big words， that Doctor's use and I love how she attached us to an everyday family and how they had to deal with it。 I knew nothing about Huntington's Disease before reading this book。 I can't wait to read her other books。 。。。more

Anita ，

* Read for the 2022 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge task: A book related to psychology， neuroscience， or the mind

lisa3000 ，

3。5I enjoyed it， and learnt alot obout Huntington’s disease as well as the illness experience。 Some parts were repetitive， and some of the side storylines I did not care for， but over all I liked this book。 It is also very evident that Genova did a lot of research for this book which I really can appreciate。This was my first time listening to an audiobook， and it was a good experience。 The reader was great for the Joe parts as his voice was deep and raspy， but it was a little funny hearing it du 3。5I enjoyed it， and learnt alot obout Huntington’s disease as well as the illness experience。 Some parts were repetitive， and some of the side storylines I did not care for， but over all I liked this book。 It is also very evident that Genova did a lot of research for this book which I really can appreciate。This was my first time listening to an audiobook， and it was a good experience。 The reader was great for the Joe parts as his voice was deep and raspy， but it was a little funny hearing it during some of Katie’s scenes。 。。。more

Sheila ，

I could not finish the second chapter， let alone the book。 The writing was too crass and vulgar。

Pippa Moore ，

In her inimitable way， Lisa Genova shines a light on what it means to have Huntington’s Disease - the impact on families in particular。 Joe， a Boston Cop， is diagnosed with this progressive and fatal disease， and each of his four children has a 50% chance of having inherited the abnormal gene， and being Huntington’s positive。 We follow the entire family as Joe’s disease progresses， and as each adult child decides whether or not to be rested for the gene。

Kristen ，

I think Lisa Genova is absolutely brilliant。 I loved this one。

Sue ，

Interesting story about the impact a hereditary， debilitating disease has on the person's life as well as the family and others。 Interesting story about the impact a hereditary， debilitating disease has on the person's life as well as the family and others。 。。。more

Julie ，

Wasn’t good but wasn’t bad either。 The ending WAS NOT for me！

Roger ，

Just like with Still Alice and Alzheimer’s， the author presents a realistic picture of the fairly rare but devastating and fatal disease of Huntington’s。 Years ago， I had a client father with Huntington’s disease and I watched the family fall apart as his disease progressed。 A great story of a Boston area family as they cope with the decisions that this disease forces on them。

Linda ，

actual rating 3。5

Susan ，

I was excited to read this book。 I love Lisa Genova’s books。 In fact， Love Anthony is one of my favorite books！ This is by far my least favorite book of LG。 While， I read it in a few days， I was hoping for more。 I just felt like something was missing in the story。 On one hand， I felt it was rushed and really was hoping in the expansion of some storylines but on the other hand， it dragged on。 If I was not a native Bostonian， I am not sure I could have gotten though it。 With that said， there certa I was excited to read this book。 I love Lisa Genova’s books。 In fact， Love Anthony is one of my favorite books！ This is by far my least favorite book of LG。 While， I read it in a few days， I was hoping for more。 I just felt like something was missing in the story。 On one hand， I felt it was rushed and really was hoping in the expansion of some storylines but on the other hand， it dragged on。 If I was not a native Bostonian， I am not sure I could have gotten though it。 With that said， there certainly were parts that I really loved。 。。。more

Wanda Ross ，

Very interesting book about living with Huntington’s Disease and the challenge of the decision of whether to learn you have the genetic gene。 The book ended sooner than I wanted。 I wanted to learn more。

Deborah ，

This book gives an inside view of how Huntington's Disease impacts a family。 It was interesting to read how every family member was impacted by this disease。 It almost became the youngest daughter's story as she was dealing with many issues about taking care of her family， jealousy of her sister， and figuring out how she fit into her family。 The research and information about this disease was skillfully woven into the plot。 This book gives an inside view of how Huntington's Disease impacts a family。 It was interesting to read how every family member was impacted by this disease。 It almost became the youngest daughter's story as she was dealing with many issues about taking care of her family， jealousy of her sister， and figuring out how she fit into her family。 The research and information about this disease was skillfully woven into the plot。 。。。more

Ellen ，

Powerful and moving。Not perfect （I felt there was too much repeating of the same information at times）， but hey， what is？

Julie ，

Lisa Genova has become one of my all time favorite authors。 Although her books deal with serious medical issues， it is the characters and their connections that set her books apart。 This one was no exception。 The small world， small town feel of the Irish police family was well represented。 While my actual life shares nothing with these characters， I connected with them through the author’s portrayal。 An excellent read。

Cindy ，

4。5 I don’t know what it says about me that I like reading Lisa Genova’s books about people who have terrible， terminal illnesses。 First it was Alzheimer’s， then ALS， and this book is about Huntington’s Disease。 I did not know what HD was before reading this book。 The author is a neuroscientist。 I think her books are interesting， relatable， and I learn a lot about each of the neurological diseases the protagonist has。

Grace Boone ，

A cop is diagnosed with Huntington's Disease in his 40s。 Each of his four children must make the decision whether or not they are going to have the genetic testing done to see if they will inherit the disease in the future （each child carries a 50% risk）。 I was hooked and engaged the whole way through。My appreciation for a book grows tenfold when learning whilst reading is melded with a plot I don't get lost in。 This reminded me a lot of Ask Again， Yes but I preferred this in the majority of way A cop is diagnosed with Huntington's Disease in his 40s。 Each of his four children must make the decision whether or not they are going to have the genetic testing done to see if they will inherit the disease in the future （each child carries a 50% risk）。 I was hooked and engaged the whole way through。My appreciation for a book grows tenfold when learning whilst reading is melded with a plot I don't get lost in。 This reminded me a lot of Ask Again， Yes but I preferred this in the majority of ways。 The information presented in the midst of the story （all surrounding Huntington's Disease） is quite sobering; hard to read about but also important to understand。 The author may have been a tad repetitive in the listing of symptoms and the signs of Huntington's， but you could tell this topic hit close to home and likely wasn't easy to write about。 I just really respect and admire this book if that makes any sense。 。。。more

Intan Mastura ，

I learned a lot about HD from the book。 Quite nice。 Just that I don't really like the Katie's part。 It's always "What ifs"。 Other characters should have been developed too， not just Katie。 I learned a lot about HD from the book。 Quite nice。 Just that I don't really like the Katie's part。 It's always "What ifs"。 Other characters should have been developed too， not just Katie。 。。。more

Cheryl Schibley ，

This book takes the reader though the journey of Huntington's disease。 This book takes the reader though the journey of Huntington's disease。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Inside the O'Briens

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Inside the O'Briens&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Inside the O'Briens&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0