Ninety-eighth book of 2020
Reading period: Nov 17th 2020 – Nov 19th 2020
Summary
Gifty is a fifth-year candidate in neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after a knee injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her.
But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family’s loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive.
Rating
Review
I saw this book, with a beautiful cover at my usual bookshop, and I purchased it without thinking. I am glad to have done that as it was a great discovery.
Most of the time, I forget that it was a fiction and not a memoir. The writing style helps a lot to this feeling. It’s smooth, and you dive into this book right away.
I like the way you see Gifty evolves through the difficulties she encounters during her life. It was so easy to connect to her.
The scientific part of the book was easy to understand, as they were well explained and described. I liked how the author talks about religion and science and how it can drive your life. I was surprised by some of the “mystery” in this book.
I discover a new author and I will gladly buy her first book, Homegoing.
Liz.
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