Author: Troy Ernest Hill
Release Date: November 1, 2015
Series: –
Genre: Medical Thriller | Psychological Thriller
Edition: E-book (mobi)
Pages: 272
Publisher: Createspace

Rating: ★★★★

Blurb:

When single mother and freelance science writer Sarah Bennett interviews Dr. Ronald Keating on the Chernobyl disaster for its 30th anniversary, she unwittingly gets entangled in the retired pharmaceutical researcher’s strange plot to combat global warming with an experimental medication. In a wry voice both funny and provocative, she grapples with Keating’s true motivations as well as profound questions about the value of an individual human life versus a society of billions in a climate-changing world.

Review

Plot:

I must admit, this book definitely surprised me. What started off as a medical thriller slowly became a neurological thriller surrounding a rather controversial topic, which makes this book a great choice to have intense discussions over.

At the center of this story is a freelance writer and a single mother, surrounded by a near-autistic daughter and a fanatic Christian mother. This itself sets the dysfunctional tone of the story. The conversations between Sarah, our main character, and the other minor characters, especially Keating and her ex-boyfriend Ted were by far the most interesting and thought provoking.

On the whole, I enjoyed the plot as well as the pacing. The subtlety of the suspense was especially enjoyable and I was definitely eager to know it ends.

Characters:

The characterizations were diverse with each character being a metaphor for acertain political or social ideology. However, I was unable to feel a real connection with anyone but I suppose that was more due to the slightly surreal nature of the book.

Writing:

The author was consistent with the first person narrative and the subtle change in Sarah’s thoughts as she became more rational and detached from sentiments made it even more intriguing.

Beginning:

The beginning was slightly slow and it takes a while to really get into the groove of the book.

Ending:

The ending felt a little rushed and it seemed that the author tried to cram a lot of things within the final few chapters. However, the concluding conversation between Sarah and Keating was where the essence of the entire story was.

Cover Art:

I love the simplicity and minimalism of the cover art and it definitely has a deeper meaning once you have read the book.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

This book has been reviewed by Mythili Hariharan.