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Putnam, Sept 2001, 24.95, 384 pp. ISBN 0399146008 The only thing keeping roommates Deborah Cochrane and Joanna Meissner from getting their doctorates from Harvard is writing up and turning in their thesis. They learn that the Wingate Fertility Clinic is willing to pay them forty five thousand dollars each for donating eggs so a couple can have a child. They agree to do so partly for humanitarian reasons and partly so they can buy a house and then rent it out while they live in Venice for the next year, completing their thesis and having fun. Upon their return to the United States both women want to know if their eggs were used in vitro fertilization to produce children. When the clinic claims confidentiality, the two women assume new identities, change their looks and accept jobs working at the clinic. The plan is to hack into the computer records before disappearing into the night. It doesn't take the bright inquisitive pair long to realize there are some strange things going on at the clinic and not all of them related to the standard fertility techniques. They decide to find out just what exactly is going on, an action that could kill them if they are not careful. SHOCK is an exciting medical thriller centering on cutting edge technology experiments conducted by people who want to milk a cash cow (no offense to the cow). Robin Cook's work is so frightening because the technology exists today for these experiments to be carried out by unscrupulous, unethical people. Mr. Cook's complex characterizations are brilliant, as all the people populating the novel seem real. It's easy to say SHOCK is going to be on every bestseller list. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) Time/era of story: Medical Thriller Yes Medical Plotlets: Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 40 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 % Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - power How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - Northeast Misc setting - scientific labs Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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