INSIDE THE O'BRIENS

Skipp Sudduth's performance of Genova's exploration of Huntington's disease makes the science of this inherited, incurable, degenerative nerve disease very personal. Joe O'Brien, 44, is an Irish cop with a wife and four children in their twenties. After some strange episodes, Joe is diagnosed with Huntington's. Sudduth's no-nonsense delivery and unemotional handling of this highly emotional subject are exactly right. As the O'Brien children learn that each has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the illness and that a simple blood test can tell if they have the gene, Sudduth makes their awakening to the deadly possibilities palpable. As they watch their father's symptoms worsen, they wonder if they really want to know their genetic futures. Clear-eyed and heartrending, this is top-notch listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2015]