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Book Review By Sarah
Gravity by Tess Gerritsen

This book is about Emma Watson, an astronaut working for NASA. She is married to Jack, whom she is currently working on a divorce from. They are training for a flight to the International Space Station, where they will be doing experiments on life in outer space. Her regular job is a doctor at a hospital. She is going to ISS with seven other people. Jack wants to go on the flight, but can't, due to medical problems.
When they get onboard, a Japaneses astronaut removes a dead mouse from the experiment lab. When he does so, some matter from it gets into his eye and he becomes very sick. Emma tries to save him, but he expires. They are worried because they do not know what the cause of death is, only that the dead mouse decomposed extremely quickly. They put the body away for an autopsy later. Emma wants to get everyone back on Earth, but no one else wants to because of fear of losing all the experiments. So, as the body is waiting to be shipped back to earth, it is not sealed and decomposes as quickly as the mouse's did, causing several more people to die. When the body is taken back, several more people die. The autopsy reveals that the virus is a form of bioterrorism. It is impossible to treat. Emma and another astronaut are the only ones left, and when Emma is infected, she sends him back to Earth. But NASA won't have it, and they blow up the emergency return vehicle he is returning in.
While Emma waits on the ship, Jack gets word of what is happening up there. So he flies up to ISS to stay with me, knowing that they will both die up there. What Emma doesn't know is that Jack has been working on a vaccine for the virus. When he arrives, Emma is in terrible shape, but he injects her with the vaccine, and she lives! The two convince NASA to let them return to Earth when they are healthy, and they stay married after all.


Plot & Themes
Medical Thriller Yes
Medical Plotlets:
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Motive of antagonist - power
The antagonists are: - big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Texas
Misc setting - scientific labs

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
Explicit sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Unusual forms of death - biohazard/virus
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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