Eileen Pollack

Harvard Book Store welcomes author of The Only Woman in the Room EILEEN POLLACK and bestselling author CELESTE NG for a discussion of Pollack's latest book, A Perfect Life—a luminous and insightful novel that considers the moral complexities of scientific discovery and the sustaining nature of love.

About A Perfect Life

A young researcher at MIT, Jane Weiss is obsessed with finding the genetic marker for Valentine’s Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. Her pursuit is deeply personal—Valentine’s killed her mother, and she and her freewheeling sister, Laurel, could be genetic carriers; each has a fifty percent chance of developing the disease. Having seen firsthand the devastating effect Valentine’s had on her parents’ marriage, Jane is terrified she might become a burden on whomever she falls in love with and so steers clear of romantic entanglement. Then, the summer before her father’s second wedding, Jane falls hard for her future stepbrother, Willie. But Willie’s father also died from Valentine’s, raising the odds that their love will end in tragedy.

When Willie bolts at a crucial moment in their relationship, Jane becomes obsessed with finding the genetic marker to the disease that threatens both their families. But if she succeeds in making history, will she and her sister have the courage to face the truth this newfound knowledge could hold for their lives? A Perfect Life is a novel of scientific and self discovery, about learning how to embrace life and love, no matter what may come. Eileen Pollack conjures a thought-provoking, emotionally resonant story of one woman’s brilliance and bravery as she confronts her deepest fears and desires—and comes to accept the inevitable and the unexpected.

Praise

“A Perfect Life probes how we live in the face of uncertainty and the ways risk can both disable and empower us. In her latest novel, Eileen Pollack has crafted a tender exploration of family love that is as smart and thought-provoking as it is moving.” —Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You

“A tense scientific mystery propels this gripping novel, but what resonates most powerfully are the keenly-observed discoveries Jane makes about even deeper mysteries: the risks and pleasures of being human, and the nuances—as well as the costs—of love.” —Kim Edwards, author of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

“Pollack expertly and sensitively focuses on the nuances of ambivalence and on the human dilemma of what to do in the complex ethical situations that arise from genetic research.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Eileen Pollack’s highly compelling new novel takes on searing questions of fate and family. . . . Jane’s challenge is deeply universal: how to find the courage and sheer will it takes to grasp the keenly precious moments of life even as they tremble and threaten to shake us apart.” —Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife