The Ones We Choose - by Julie Clark (Paperback)

About the Book

"The powerful forces of science and family collide when Paige Robson, a genetic scientist whose life's work examines why some fathers can't bond with their children, finds her world in upheaval: her eight-year-old son Miles is struggling to fit in at his new school and begins asking questions about his biological father that Paige can't answer--until fate thrusts the anonymous donor she used into their lives. Paige's carefully constructed life begins to unravel as the truth of Miles' paternity threatens to destroy everything she has grown to cherish. And when tragedy strikes, Paige must face the consequences of sharing a secret only she knows. As Paige slowly opens herself up--by befriending an eccentric mother, confronting her own deeply buried vulnerabilities, and trying to make sense of her absent father's unexpected return--she realizes breakthroughs aren't only for the lab"--

Book Synopsis

Lisa Genova meets 23andMe in this "extraordinary breakthrough novel" (Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author) about a geneticist whose young son's questions about his biological father lead her to track down the anonymous sperm donor she once chose, setting off a chain of events that threatens to upend their lives.

Geneticist Paige Robson has built her life on careful choices and hard-earned independence. But when her eight-year-old son, Miles, begins struggling at his new school and asking questions about his biological father, Paige is forced to confront a past she has long kept sealed away. The anonymous sperm donor she once chose suddenly enters their lives, setting off a chain reaction Paige never anticipated.

As Miles searches for where he belongs, Paige's carefully constructed world begins to unravel. The truth about Miles's paternity threatens her sense of security, while unexpected friendships, the reappearance of her own estranged father, and long-buried vulnerabilities push her to reexamine the meaning of family. When tragedy strikes, Paige must face the consequences of a secret only she has carried--and decide what honesty really demands.

Blending the intimacy of family drama with the intrigue of modern science, this moving novel reveals that while DNA may explain how we're made, it cannot fully explain who we are--or who we choose to love.

Review Quotes

"A novel with a wonderfully smart and strong protagonist, Julie Clark's debut The Ones We Choose is an impressive and surprising combination of hard science and raw emotion. In this absorbing story of friendship, parenting, and the intensity of the sibling bond, Clark reveals how messy family life can be and how the mess itself might be of great value. An engaging read!"--Amy Poeppel, author of Small Admissions

"A unique marriage of love and science, Julie Clark's powerful debut The Ones We Choose proves family is what we make it. Poignant and captivating, this is a read-in-one-sitting story!" --Karma Brown, bestselling author of The Choices We Make

"An engaging, heart-felt alchemy of genetics and emotion, THE ONES WE CHOOSE is a unique story that will having you thinking about the true meaning of family and how our heritage silently weaves its way into every choice we make."--Amy Hatvany, author of Outside the Lines

"How could I not love a debut about science, secrets, DNA, and how the traumas of our ancestors still live within our very cells? With gorgeous prose, and a deep emotional resonance, The Ones We Choose is about the science of love, how our DNA shapes us, and a mother's fierce battle to protect her son while confronting what really makes our identity ours, what and who we choose to let in, and what and who we don't. An absolutely dazzling, profound ruby of a novel."--Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World

"This chimera of heart and science skillfully produces an extraordinary breakthrough novel. I love smart fiction with a sharp heroine at the core. Julie Clark has perceptively given us that in The Ones We Choose. A story of mother and son and the ties that bind, right down to the marrow. Trust me, you're going to want to read this." --Sarah McCoy, New York Times and international bestselling author of Marilla of Green Gables and The Mapmaker's Children