Eating Pomegranates: A Memoir of Mothers, Daughters and Genes

'Ididn'tchooseit.Certainly,Ididn'tchooseit.Iwouldhavechosenalmostanythingelse.Butthenwhatlifechoosesitssubject?''Thestorystartson14thMarch2006.Oratleast,thatwasthedaywhenmydiseasewasgivenaname.'SobeginsSarahGabriel'sextraordinarymemoir,EatingPomegranates.Afteratroubledupbringingthatsawtheearlydeathofhermotherfromcancer,Sarahhaslearnttoappreciate'thecharmsofsimplehappiness'.Withahome,apartnerandtwobeautifuldaughters,sheintendstowriteanovelaboutfamilyrelationships.Butthenat44,sheisdiagnosedwithbreastcancerandlearnsthatwhileyoucanturnyourbackonyourpast,youcan'tescapeyourgeneticlegacy.TheproblemisM18T,arareanddeadlymutationontheBRCA1genethathasalreadykilledhermotherandcountlessfemaleancestorsthroughthegenerations.Willitclaimanothervictim?Inherstruggleforsurvival,Gabrieltakesusonawhite-knuckleridethroughcontemporarygenetics,therigoursofhertreatmentsforcancer,andtheimpactofthediseaseonherfamily'sdynamics.Butthebookisaboutmorethanthestruggleforphysicalsurvival.Itisalsoaboutafightforidentity,forsanity,inwhichsheembarksonalongbackwardsjourneytofindoutaboutthemotherwhodisappearedtooearlyfromherlife.Asbeautifulasitisbrutal,thisbookisaboutmothersandaboutmotherlessdaughters,aboutawomansoscaredofleavingherownchildrenthatsheishardlyabletomotherthemherself.Itisaboutmomentsoftendernessthatilluminateadayandthoughtlessactions-afriendturningawayforfearthatmiseryiscontagious-thatcannearlybreakyou.Thebookalsoturnsouttobeamemoirofbreastcanceritself,fromearlyradicalsurgerieswithoutanaestheticthroughtothefoundingofadedicatedhospitalinthe19thcenturyandontocontemporarytreatments.Lacedwithblackhumour,writtenwithamixtureofpassionandclinicalaccuracy,thisisanextraordinarybookaboutanalltooordinarydisease.