After losing their son, Colton, when he was eight, Claire and Ethan are desperate to have another child. But Claire carries the gene for a deadly disease, and adoption isn't an option for the couple.
Their only solution lies in the hands of Dr. Robert Nash, who illegally dabbles in gene editing to eliminate faulty DNA. When Claire hears about his work on the dark web, she volunteers to be Nash's first human test subject--without revealing the truth to her husband, a bioethics professor and vocal opponent of DNA experimentation. The procedure might get Claire what she wants, but it also brings dangerous consequences for her and her family. Is it worth bringing a healthy child into this world, only to put the child at risk?
Kira Peikoff's Mother Knows Best tackles cutting-edge science and the age-old question: Just because we can do something, does it mean we should? The author gives enough scientific information for readers to follow the story--and learn something in the process--but doesn't bog down the narrative with technical jargon. Peikoff (Living Proof) focuses on the emotional and ethical plight of the parties involved: Claire; Dr. Nash and his mercurial assistant, Jillian; Claire's husband, Ethan; and Abby, the miracle baby. The story is told from the points of view of the women and child, and shows there's no one clear answer to the question of whether or not genetic experimentation should be encouraged. Mother Knows Best offers intelligent, valid arguments from different angles, allowing readers to reach their own conclusions. --Elyse Dinh-McCrillis, freelance editor