Hailed as "a writer of uncommon clarity" by the New Yorker, National
Book Award finalist Allegra Goodman has dazzled readers with her
acclaimed works of fiction, including such beloved bestsellers as The
Family Markowitz and Kaaterskill Falls. Now she returns with a
bracing new novel, at once an intricate mystery and a rich human drama
set in the high-stakes atmosphere of a prestigious research institute in
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sandy Glass, a charismatic publicity-seeking oncologist, and Marion
Mendelssohn, a pure, exacting scientist, are codirectors of a lab at the
Philpott Institute dedicated to cancer research and desperately in need
of a grant. Both mentors and supervisors of their young postdoctoral
protégés, Glass and Mendelssohn demand dedication and obedience in a
competitive environment where funding is scarce and results elusive. So
when the experiments of Cliff Bannaker, a young postdoc in a rut, begin
to work, the entire lab becomes giddy with newfound expectations. But
Cliff's rigorous colleague-and girlfriend-Robin Decker suspects the
unthinkable: that his findings are fraudulent. As Robin makes her
private doubts public and Cliff maintains his innocence, a life-changing
controversy engulfs the lab and everyone in it.
With extraordinary insight, Allegra Goodman brilliantly explores the
intricate mixture of workplace intrigue, scientific ardor, and the moral
consequences of a rush to judgment. She has written an unforgettable
novel.
