Flashback

One of Braver's best. I was riveted from the very beginning. This book is particularly timely considering recent scandals in the pharmaceutical industry. How far will big business go to make a profit? How far will individuals go to spare their loved ones pain? The ethical quandries in this novel are many, and force you to think about what you would do. Excellent book!

Though an arresting and thoroughly enjoyable book with a scarily plausible premise, my delight was in the word pictures that Mr. Braver so expertly crafted throughout the story: "... a SWAT team of waiters..." and "...geriatric terrarium..." are two of my favorites. In describing those brief flashes of recognition that those with Alzheimer's occasionally have, could it be better worded than to say "...little pilot lights of personality..."? (definition: that essence of a person that remains largely lost to the present yet nevertheless continues to burn at some level now hidden from sight- See how many words it took for me to conjure up what Mr. Braver did with only 5 words?) It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I would add a codicil: a few well-chosen words can create an amazing picture. My first encounter with Mr. Braver's writing will definitely not be my last.

Flashback reads fast and is full of suspense, and the characters are well-developed and multi-faceted. I identified with main characters Jack and Rene, the Alzheimer's patients, their families, and even those in the pharmaceutical industry. Each character faced complex choices and behaved authentically. I felt both the thrill the patients and their families felt at the improvements in their cognitive abilities, and their terror at being trapped -- or suspecting loved ones were trapped -- in painful memories and flashbacks. I rooted for Jack and Rene all the way and still understood why some people, including ones with good intentions, wanted the drug on the market. This is the ideal thriller -- it has a fast-paced plot with plenty of twists, characters you really care about, and real concerns that linger long after the book is finished. I'm planning to read Gray Matter next (already read Elixir -- also an amazing book), and can't wait for the next Braver thriller.

This really is a terrific book. Although similar to some of Braver's earlier novels, such as Elixir and Grey Matter in that it focuses on medical science, this is a more complex story and has elements of thriller, of mystery and of drama related to medical and corporate ethics. There are really two stories here -- related, but, seemingly distinct. I won't spoil it for others, but, as you might suspect, they do converge -- and in ways that I, at least, didn't see coming. Very enjoyable read, while raising some very interesting ethical questions related to aging and medicine.

The thing that I found the most interesting about this book was the way it played off the potential to have a whole class of patients (Alzheimer's patients, and their families) threatened by abuses within the pharmaceutical industry. The book highlights doctors who take bribes, who have financial incentives to push their drug through the clinical trial phase, regardless of the risks to the patients. Behind the doctors, are the corporate pharmaceutical interests that care more about profit than people. I don't know if people realize how very close to the bone Gary Braver's tale really hits. A thought-provoking, intelligent book with a unique voice, like all of Mr. Braver's work. If you haven't read ELIXIR or GRAY MATTER, those are also great books. Braver speaks to topical issues of our times in a way that few authors do.