A Student of Living Things

Not knowing what to expect, I paged through this book a few minutes before I needed to hit the freeway. Mistake. I can't remember finding a modern novel so compelling. I could not put it down. Came back from my mtg and stay up until I finished it. The ending was a surprise, but believable and not a let down. At times the narrator seemed younger than her Ph.D. level age -- but otherwise I was completely drawn in with that wonderful experience of a book that graps you by your eyes and won't let go. A couple of days later after I read the last page, I still find myself thinking about the world of A Student of Living Things. Recommend it full out.

The heart of the Frayn family is centered in their home, where they gather for safety in a world drastically changed and unpredictable post 9/11. The country has lapsed into unilateral paranoia, small revolutions breaking out, random violence and political unrest, the National Guard familiar figures on the streets of Washington, DC. Brother and sister, Steven and Claire, are inseparable, best friends; when Steven is shot and killed on the steps of George Washington University, Claire is only a few steps away. The family is devastated by the loss of the articulate, motivated Steven, who penned fearless op-ed articles and engaged in active debate about the post 9/11 political climate. His death is a terrible shock to the family, almost impossible to fathom, each of them struggling to acknowledge that safety exists only in the imagination. Mourning, Claire feels Steven's loss grievously, until she discovers an opportunity to set things right, perhaps even the score for the loss of her brother. In this touching tale, tenderness is found in the midst of grief, hope surfacing unexpectedly, Claire's intuition as a scientist eventually rescuing her from the emotions that have propelled her decisions, assumptions she has accepted without question in the wake of Steven's death: "The mind... is a curious thing, the way it grips the tracks once it's on course." It is during this time of great melancholy and confusion that Claire embraces life once again with the same enthusiasm she knew when her brother was still alive, only to learn a terrible lesson: "Sadness has the weight of nothing else I know". A love story in the heart of chaos, Claire, a biologist, is thrust into unfamiliar territory in an emotional conflict she is ill-prepared to confront. Yet survive she does, thanks to the guidance and patience of eccentric parents and extended family, a desert bloom in the arid wasteland of a country that has lost its bearings, falling victim to threat and intimidation. The author has fashioned an unusual tale of familial love, loss and betrayal, the Frayn family fracturing after Steven's murder, yet, almost subconsciously, moving closer, each in his own way to repair the damage of their loss and redefine their commitment. The characters are finely drawn, their tentative striving to reconnect indicative of the values they share, a recognition that only time and love can heal some wounds. The story is charged with undefined menace, the plot further complicated by a surprising twist, where hope surfaces in spite of imminent danger. A Student of Living Things is a reflection on modern times, where invincibility has given way to vulnerability, the human spirit indomitable and victorious in the face of fear. Luan Gaines/ 2006.

Claire Frayn is a post graduate student majoring in biology at George Washington University; her brother Steven is studying law at the school and enjoys writing articles criticizing the government. Claire and Steven head to the university together while their parents debate his latest condemnation, this time of the Department of Justice's use of the Freedom for Democracy Act to trample on individual rights under the guise of keeping people safe. At the school's library, an assassin shoots and kills Steven right near Claire Claire goes through the five steps of grief, but wants revenge against the killer who conveniently escapes law enforcement; however she feels helpless as she has no idea who he or she is or how to uncover the culprit's identity. From Michigan, music composer Victor Duarte contacts Claire informing her he can help her with her need to avenge her sibling. She is enticed by his offer as her family remains devastated by the tragedy and is not there for her. However, as Claire heals she begins to ponder who charismatic Victor is, as he seems to know too much yet the second civil war in her mind began with that bullet on the library steps. Though the introduction to the extended Frayn family takes its time, once Steven is murdered, the story line turns into a terrific thriller that never slows down until the climax. Claire is a wonderful heroine struggling with the death of her brother as much as with her feelings of hopelessness until Victor offers her an opportunity. Like Claire when she begins to regain her equilibrium and leave behind much of the fog of grief, readers will wonder if she has agreed to a Faustian deal. Readers will be a student of Susan Richards Shreve following this tense tale. Harriet Klausner