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Title:
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Double Helix |
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Authors:
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Merriman, Eileen |
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Genre:
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Fiction: New Zealand |
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Pages:
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362 |
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Year:
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2021 |
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Language:
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English |
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Description:
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Make no mistake about it, life is a messy business and Jake and Emily, childhood friends and neighbours, have plenty of mess to contend with.
Rekindling their relationship when they are medical students, they set forth into adult life with Jake's genetic heritage hanging over their heads, thrown into stark relief by his mother's death from Huntington's disease.
To know or not to know, that is the question ... and through career advancement, marriage and parenthood, Jake and Emily will have to wrestle with the choices they must make.
With Dunedin starring in a cameo role, this is a compelling medical drama, a rollercoaster ride through the world of genetic inheritance, as well as the life and death dilemmas we all may face.
This title is also offered as part of the Narrative Muse Book Club.
View this title on the Narrative Muse website
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Categories:
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Fiction, Fiction NZ, Love Story, Medical/Health, Morals/Ethics, Australia, Content may disturb, Narrative Muse Book Club, 2024 Titles, New Adult |
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By: DUNED 058
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2026-03-07 12:27:06 |
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Some members found the book a bit too "chick-lit", bit others enjoyed the fast pace of the story. |
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By: CHCH 033
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2026-03-01 12:27:01 |
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Discussion was good, and most enjoyed the read! |
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By: TEPUK 004
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2025-12-03 12:19:33 |
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We initially thought the novel was more suited to a younger audience. However, it generated a huge amount of discussion! |
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By: CHCH 001
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2025-11-07 17:17:01 |
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Members found the book easy to read and informative. It covered a range of issues associated with deaths - an incurable disease (Huntington's), heart failure, and unexpected death in childbirth. Discussions on personal experiences and treatments added to the depth of conversation, especially on euthanasia. |
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By: INVER 004
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2025-11-07 16:32:51 |
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Our readers enjoyed this book. |
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By: MILT 002
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2025-11-03 11:58:54 |
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Advise not to read the notes BEFORE the book as they reveal the whole plot. Most people really enjoyed this book. Lots of topics for discussion. |
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By: AKAR 007
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2025-10-31 15:23:30 |
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Predictable and overly complicated. Tried to cover too much. |
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By: TAUR 049
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2025-10-30 10:19:44 |
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Generally agreed that there was a great deal in this book to appreciate and think about. |
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By: WELL 046
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2025-08-11 10:23:58 |
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Most members enjoyed this book, especially the medical insights and the portrayal of all the difficulties associated with Huntington's disease. |
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By: DUNED 118
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2025-06-16 18:40:18 |
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Mostly well enjoyed. Some very complex issues discussed with unexpected twist and turns. Very thought provoking about the importance of advanced care plans and loved ones being aware of them. The debate of wanting to know health risk and its consequences is complex. |
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By: CHCH 277
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2025-05-05 09:47:38 |
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Mixed responses to this one. Some really enjoyed it and found it interesting, others found it unconvincing and disappointing. |
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By: WELL 047
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2025-03-10 12:02:26 |
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A lightweight story with heavy themes. Good discussion. |
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By: ASHB 009
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2024-12-16 14:28:54 |
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This book was enjoyed by most members. Was an easy read with a few shocks. "A little adolescent", one member said, but overall enjoyable. |
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By: COROM 005
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2024-12-10 10:49:10 |
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A couple enjoyed the book, but most disliked the writing style and how heavy handed it was with the dialogue. Was a quick and easy read for us all. Led to lots of good discussion around a wide range of topics covered in the book. |
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By: TAUR 061
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2024-11-01 13:59:44 |
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This story portrays many of life’s complexities, the importance of loving and supporting each other, with the issues involving a rare genetic disease forming the background to the story. It is well formulated and wove real life experiences that many readers will align with. This story kept the reader intrigued and was often emotional. |
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By: GORE 001
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2024-10-07 10:30:55 |
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The writing style ( young adult) and questions had a mixed review. However the discussion was wide ranging and very interesting, as group members shared personal stories of both hereditary health conditions and end of life experiences. |
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By: GORE 001
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2024-09-26 17:23:35 |
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This resulted in mixed opinions from the members of our group. Some members loved it, thought it very interesting with riveting topics; and other members couldn't finish, thought there was no real depth, and had a writing style that wasn't liked. We had an engaged discussion about the book and its topics. |
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By: BLENH 010
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2024-09-11 17:32:33 |
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A mixed reaction to this book. Some enjoyed it very much, others an average response. All agreed it was a tragic story in its Huntington's theme. We enjoyed a very good discussion. |
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By: BLENH 010
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2024-08-29 10:14:58 |
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A mixed reaction to this book. Some enjoyed it very much, others, a very average response. All agreed it was a tragic story. Good discussion, particularly about Huntington's. |
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By: ASHB 016
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2024-07-18 11:22:42 |
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We all enjoyed this book - knew there would be a twist but it was different to what we expected. Good discussion about the disease and the theme of the book in general - liked the NZ & Australian aspect. Good story. |
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By: CROMW 005
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2024-07-18 09:50:53 |
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Enjoyable. |
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By: ASHB 005
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2024-06-24 10:04:04 |
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The book was enjoyed by all members, once you got into the book. Slow to begin at the start of the book. |
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By: MARTIN 001
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2024-04-11 16:45:49 |
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Most members didn't like this book. A few did. Most thought that it was popularist with not much literary merit. Others enjoyed it as an easy read that kept their attention. Characters were two dimensional and not developed. It tried to cover too many issues. However it was informative about Huntington's Disease. |
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By: WAITAT 004
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2023-11-15 09:54:41 |
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Mixed reactions in our group - while we felt some important themes were tackled, it all felt a bit superficial. Useful knowledge re medical issues. |
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By: CHCH 125
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2023-09-11 13:15:03 |
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Reminded one of the struggle of medical school training. Enjoyable read despite the difficult subject matter. |
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