This is an emotional roller coaster of a novel. Joe O'Brien is an Irish Catholic cop living in Charlestown, MA. His problems start simply enough - he forgets where he put his gun one morning and then his temper flares as he blames his wife and kids for it. He trips and falls, bumps into people, and "fidgets" according to his wife Rosie. The problems become progressively worse and finally Rosie insists that Joe go to the doctor. It is there he learns he has Huntington's Disease (HD) - and he probably inherited it from his mother, who died in an institution. There is also a 50/50 chance that each of his four children also inherited HD from him.

"Inside the O'Briens" details how the O'Briens - Joe, Rosie, Patrick, JJ, Colleen, Meghan, and Katie - deal with HD, each in their own way. Patrick, the eldest child, is a bartender and the blacksheep of the family. JJ and his wife Colleen are expecting their first child. Meghan is a ballet dancer and Katie is a yoga instructor. The family has to deal not only with Joe's diagnosis and treatment, but also with the fact that his children are also at risk of developing HD.

Joe has always been strong and independent, supporting his family and protecting his community and now he can no longer do that. Because of the HD, people who don't know about his condition often think he has a drinking problem. He also feels immense guilt over the fact he has transmitted HD to at least two of his children.

Genova does a wonderful job making the characters come to life in this book. You quickly come to identify with them and care for them. I actually had to put the book down several times because I was about to cry. I can't remember the last time a book made me feel that way, especially a fiction one. Genova imparts information about HD little by little. You never feel overwhelmed by it and her style is never preachy. I think I know and understand more about HD now than I would had I read a textbook about it.

I won an ARC of this book through a giveaway with my group, "Life of a Book Addict."

Highly recommended.