A poetic and intimate first novel on illness, grief and reconstruction of family ties, examined through the lens of motherhood.
Marina is in her early thirties when she decides to have a child and soon becomes pregnant. Always concerned about her health, she wants to learn more about the undiagnosed illness that took her father, a former radiobiologist who intervened after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident.
Through internet research and consultations, she discovers that her father died of a rare genetic disease with a high transmission rate - Huntington’s chorea. Terrified by the possibility of passing the disease to her child, but equally apprehensive about uncovering her own fate, she tries to decide whether to undergo the genetic test.
A poetic and tender reflection on family trauma, illness and grief, that touches on the value of human life in the Soviet Union, the Chernobyl disaster and the burden of generational shame.
Marina is in her early thirties when she decides to have a child and soon becomes pregnant. Always concerned about her health, she wants to learn more about the undiagnosed illness that took her father, a former radiobiologist who intervened after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident.
Through internet research and consultations, she discovers that her father died of a rare genetic disease with a high transmission rate - Huntington’s chorea. Terrified by the possibility of passing the disease to her child, but equally apprehensive about uncovering her own fate, she tries to decide whether to undergo the genetic test.
A poetic and tender reflection on family trauma, illness and grief, that touches on the value of human life in the Soviet Union, the Chernobyl disaster and the burden of generational shame.