• Inside the O'Briens

  • A Novel
  • By: Lisa Genova
  • Narrated by: Skipp Sudduth
  • Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,304 ratings)

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Inside the O'Briens  By  cover art

Inside the O'Briens

By: Lisa Genova
Narrated by: Skipp Sudduth
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Publisher's summary

From award-winning, New York Times best-selling author Lisa Genova comes a powerful new novel that does for Huntington's disease what her debut Still Alice did for Alzheimer's.

Joe O'Brien is a 44-year-old Boston police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, a proud father of four children in their 20s, and a respected, seasoned law enforcement officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to aging and the cumulative physical and psychological stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family's lives forever: Huntington's disease.

Huntington's is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. And it is genetic. Each of Joe's four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father's disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching their potential futures in their father's escalating symptoms, the children struggle with the questions this test imposes on their young adult lives, including his youngest, 21-year-old Katie. Does she want to know? What if she's gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?

As Joe's symptoms worsen, and he's eventually stripped of his badge and more, he struggles to maintain his identity and sense of purpose. How can he find hope in a situation that feels hopeless? How can he find courage without any armor or weapons? What else might he be able to pass down to his children other than a fatal disease? Where is the honor in living and dying with Huntington's?

©2015 Lisa Genova (P)2015 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Skipp Sudduth's performance of Genova's exploration of Huntington's disease makes the science of this inherited, incurable, degenerative nerve disease very personal.... Sudduth's no-nonsense delivery and unemotional handling of this highly emotional subject are exactly right.... Clear-eyed and heartrending, this is top-notch listening." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Inside the O'Briens

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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As a person at risk for HD

This book is beautifully written, and provides a great easy to understand explanation of Huntington's disease. It accurately portrays the difficulties families with Huntington's go through. It closely parallels my own experiences. At times it was difficult for me to listen to, because of the difficult subject, but that's exactly what a good book should do, get you involved and makes you feel. The narrator was excellent and I cannot think of a better choice.

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26 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

I wanted to love this but

Still Alice is the reason I read this book. It resonated with me for days, weeks and months and I was so looking forward to being taken on a similar ride. Unfortunately this book just doesn't get there. I think that the disappointment stems from the lack of any real story. Sure we get the family and the heartbreak and an insight into the disease but none of the characters progress past superficiality. I think that the author just skimmed the surface of too many family members and we were left with a colourless glimpse of their journey.
The most frustrating part of this book is of course the ending. I understand the author not wanting to spell it all out but we are so far from the end of any of these characters story that I felt cheated. If only Lisa had taken us right to the end- tackled the HD death, I would have felt it was worth the read.
Sorry but this book is completely forgettable.

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9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Such an amazing family story

If you could sum up Inside the O'Briens in three words, what would they be?

so wonderfully moving

What other book might you compare Inside the O'Briens to and why?

i haven't read a book that made me want feel the characters pain and hopes and fears so clearly. I'm spoiled now this book was amazing!

What about Skipp Sudduth’s performance did you like?

His voice is perfect as the Boston cop and the daughter. You are them while you listen to him

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no, there where many.

Any additional comments?

I've recommend this book to so many people and am looking forward to reading the author's other books

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8 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great Story, Terrible Language

I have read all of Lisa Genova's books and have loved every one of them. This is the first book I have read by this author that has had such offensive language. I understand that the family in the story is a working class family facing a terrible prognosis, but I just don't believe that most people use four letter words to talk to members of their family. I would have enjoyed the story more if the language had been toned down.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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WOW!

Heartbreaking, enlightening, rewarding. This book will inspire, pull at your heartstrings and make you want to hug your family and thank God for His blessings. I found myself laughing through my tears. Great narration.

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6 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Huntington's disease primer masquerading as novel.

This was less a novel than an attempt to increase awareness of the terrifying causes and symptoms of Huntington's Disease. While that increased awareness is a worthy goal, it does NOT make for even a decent novel. Characters are one dimensional and utterly predictable and the author takes the easy way out at the end. SPOILER: in the very last scene a character who has been conflicted about finding out whether or not she was gene-positive reaches for the envelope that will give her this information.....and the book ends there. Really? Poorly written, poorly narrated; the only thing that redeems this book is that it brings to light the ravages of this disease. I'd rather have read about the disease in a doctor's office pamphlet.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Genova Does It Again- Brings Awareness

The first time I read 'Still Alice' by Lisa Genova, I was hooked on her style of writing. She takes ordinary people and makes ordinary readers feel their experiences. Still Alice was the story of Alice who had early onset Alzheimer's. Then, Lisa wrote a book called 'Left Neglected' which was about a woman who had a condition where she could no longer use the left side of her body. 'Inside the O'Briens' is a very gritty and honest story about a family who's patriarch develops Huntington's Disease, and how they react to it.

Genova brings awareness with her writing. Although she writes fiction, she chooses subjects that aren't necessary often talked about and she sends a message. She lets the reader feel what it's like to have a rare disease and how those millions of people who suffer from these illnesses deal with them. She has us involved from the minute the person discovers that there is something wrong, through the part where they accept it, tell their family, and live with it. It should be noted that even if it may sound impossible, Genova delivers her prose with a brilliant sense of humour. She reminds us that sometimes- there is just nothing left to do but laugh.

Joe O'Brien has been a cop in Boston his whole adult life. When weird things start to happen to his body, like his shoulders start to shrug on the drill deck or he starts flinging his food halfway across the room- or when he has terrible tantrums and knocks holes in the walls- he and his wife go to the doctor to figure out if there is something wrong. When the diagnoses is Huntington's Disease, and Joe is told that he will eventually die while he slowly deteriorates, he is most astounded and upset that each of his four children have a 50/50 chance of inheriting the disease.

The narration is excellent. Skipp Sudduth is the perfect choice for the story of a man who is tough, yet soft with his family. The story is tragic, yet beautiful at the same time.

I love Lisa Genova, she is a fabulous writer and I look forward to her delivering more poignant stories that stick with me and make me empathize and realize how beautiful life can be.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Good but

I really liked the book. However, I did not approve of the author's ending.

I thought it needed to carry the individual stories further along.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book, great narration

What did you love best about Inside the O'Briens?

I loved everything about this heartbreaking novel. A sad story told authentically with humor and hope. I'm a big fan of Lisa Genova's wok and this is perhaps her best. At least on par with Still Alice.

What other book might you compare Inside the O'Briens to and why?

Still Alice. The reader learns a lot about the disease through a well told fiction story. The characters are believable and lovable. Real people with tragic stories.

Which character – as performed by Skipp Sudduth – was your favorite?

Joe. Sudduth nailed him. Tough Irish Catholic Boston cop. Perfect narrator for this story

Any additional comments?

This was a really great book. I'm sad to finished with it

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Touching story

Great book - cant say i liked the ending- hit home few times, had to stop reading. Hopefully it helps people learn about H D

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4 people found this helpful