Invivo

It is spring, 1996 in a small university town on the east coast of Scotland. Harold Spencer, MD, PhD is in the middle of a bold experiment to cure genetic disease. Opponents say he is going too far and too fast; yet he is driven to end the heartbreak of parents and the early end to so many lives. The breakthrough he has sought is within reach. He and his wife Shelly are also beginning what they call the gala fortnight, celebrating their birthdays and wedding anniversary. Yet destruction lurks, within the town and within his own lab. Invivo is a love story. And a story of evil, revenge, and remorse where only the ultimate sacrifice can help keep a promise.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

Robert Brown pens an interesting story revolving around research, trials, and error. Invivo shares the murder of a beloved wife and how her husband takes matters into his own hands, as a sweet suicidal scientist who dreams of death and revenge. Readers will witness, with jaws dropped and a sense of disbelief, Harold Spencer's dive into what seems like madness.

 

Shelly Spencer is a kind, big hearted, loving character. Her image is that of a perfect woman who is deeply in love with her husband and dreams of having a family. Readers will be horrified at what is done to Shelly by Herrie the Fisherman. She's murdered in the most heinous way and the description itself gave me the chills. I almost had to skip it and kind of wish I would have. Readers will feel saddened and angry at Shelly's unfair outcome. Those feelings will help readers connect with her husband, Harold, and understand his debilitating grief.

 

Dr. Harold Spencer wants to save the lives of people who have been dealt deadly genes. His research goals are commendable and he's easily respected. Harold is an understanding, nice, intelligent scientist who focuses mainly on curing cystic fibrosis. His scientific plan is to prompt mother nature to choose the better genes when given the option between dysfunctional DNA and healthy DNA. The research seems promising, but always ends in the death of his lab rats. When he finds his wife brutally murdered, Harold's whole world burns to the ground. Readers see Harold crumbling and will feel a strong sympathetic connection. For those readers who have lost a loved one, especially a spouse, the connection will be even stronger. However, Harold's character doesn't seem mentally stable and exhibits extremely distressful signs. I feel sympathy for his character and understand his depression, but I honestly don't know how to feel about what he carries out toward the end of his life. Mainly, the creation of his 'daughter'.

 

Holly Spencer is the biologically created daughter of Harold and Shelly that appears at the end. The way that Holly is created made me a bit uncomfortable, but aside from that, I liked her character and her role. She became the successful end result of Harold's human study combined with his unsteady sanity. I'm not sure all readers will understand Holly but she's does have relatable characteristics. She's smart, stable, and brave as she tries to find where she fits in the world, knowing that her life is going to consist of merely weeks.

 

The plot of Invivo is outside the realm of any science fiction I've ever read before. It begins with the introduction of the Spencers and how wonderful their life is before Shelly is murdered. Then Harold becomes determined to find her murderer, only living for his research and her justice. When his lab is burned down by an animal rights group, Harold loses one of his reasons to not commit suicide. Then he remembers he has a sample of his wife's DNA and decides to make his research even more personal. He injects himself with her DNA combined with specific hormones in order to begin the ending of his life. Through this therapy, Harold dies and gives creation to Holly. Invivo follows the denial and grief of one scientist who steps outside of the realm of study. As this book has brutal descriptions of sexual assault and murder, I would not recommend this to everyone. Readers of science fiction, murder mysteries, and those with an ability to understand some scientific processes (that are pretty well explained) would probably be entertained by this novel.

 

Rating: 2.5/5 Cups

 

Allegiant (Divergent #3)

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Veronica Roth concludes her captivating Divergent series with the final book, Allegiant. After spending the first two books confined to a city where factions and power-hungry opinions rule, the main characters of the series decide to join the Allegiant and leave the city. They are (surprisingly) greeted by members of the Genetics Bureau and thus a new twist revealing a much bigger problem. 

Tris and Tobias share the point of view in this novel, each chapter referencing who is speaking, which does get quite confusing. When the concept of genetically pure versus genetically damaged is introduced, they each react a different way. Tris refuses to believe that genetically damaged people are any less equal to the genetically pure, while Tobias struggles to accept that he is not divergent and essentially damaged. At least, readers finally get a glimpse into the mind of Tobias. It connects readers to him to know the thoughts behind his actions, finally solidifying a bond that goes back generations. (Who didn't love her mom, Natalie?!) 

Tris is her strongest in this novel, with many difficult decisions to make that will ultimately hurt one group or another. She still acts a little immature and makes quick decisions without thought to consequence a few times in the novel, but Roth is writing a teenage character so can we really blame her? Probably not. The character/reader connection was strengthened through the discovery of some information about her mother and father. When Tris found out that her mother wasn't born in the city experiment, but joined later, readers witnessed a very emotional reaction, therefore, creating a deep-seated bond. 

The plot follows Tris, Tobias, Christina, Caleb, Peter, Uriah, and Cara out of the city experiment and into the Genetics Bureau, where it is revealed that there was a genetic war and the experiments were implemented to heal the genetic damage over time. Though they all struggle with their feelings about this new truth, they all agree that something must be done to change the the course of history and it will call for the greatest sacrifice of all. Quite a wonderful, angering, tearjerker, twister of a novel. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups