Reviewed by Kristin
Emily is more comfortable dealing
with a microscope than with people. If she could just sit in a lab and analyze
how DNA controls the sense of smell and never ever talk to anyone, she would be
quite content. Of course she wants to work on a project which could make a huge
difference in olfactory neuron research, but she would be fine working on it by
herself. The problem is, Aeden and Allegra are already working on a set of
genes and it would really help to know if the genes Emily is searching for in
the database are the ones already identified.
One day in the lab Aeden reaches
out to Emily, and she opens herself to him in a way she did not know possible.
They become friends, then something more, but Emily is not sure what it is. She
just doesn’t know how to process the possibility of a relationship. Genes are
so much easier to read than people.
Andrea Rothman’s language is
beautiful and elegant, giving shape to a sparse life blooming into something
more. Emily must decide what is most important to her. The path she chooses
will change her direction in life, exposing her to experiences she never
anticipated.
More than just two science nerds
falling in love, The DNA of You and Me examines the importance of human
interactions for those whose brains are wired just a little differently. This
book reminded me of How to Tell Toledo From the Night Sky by Lydia Netzer,
reviewed here. The characters in both books seem to have the same kind of
disconnect from the world around them, as so much of what matters to them is
the science.
Rothman is a scientist who has
done significant research on the sense of smell. She clearly understands the
workings of genetic sequences and has translated the concepts into language
that non-scientists can understand. This is her debut novel.
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