Intuition [Paperback]

"Too good to be true...." is a theme that runs throughout this excellent book that opens up the [often] closed world of the scientific research, and of humanising the [often] complex and complicated impersonal pursuit of scientific truth. "Too good to be true", in the book, refers to the manipulation of results and interpretation of experimental data so that they support desired conclusions. BUT "Too good to be true..." can equally be applied to this excellent book in the topic, storytelling, atmosphere, characters, subjectivity v objectivity of research and inter-relationships of the various researchers, colleagues, families and friends. 'Intuition' is compelling fiction, is at once intricate mystery carefully and creditably interwoven with rich human drama. It has an absorbing scientific plot, but its real strength lies in the clever and convincing portrayal and dissection of human motives and characters.

'Intuition' is set in the closed world of a research institute in Boston in the 1980s. A brash publicity-seeking oncologist, an exacting scientist driven by love of her research, and an ambitious young postdoctoral fellow are among the characters that populate this outstanding novel.

"The Lab" is awaken from years of unrewarding research when Cliff - a post-doc - 'discovers' a genetically modified virus that he has prepared that is positive and active in attacking cancer cells. A research paper is quickly published, major grant applications obtained, and publicity and promotion of this astonishing breakthrough is presented to the world.

All the laboratory and the Institute are excited and overwhelmed by this discovery - except for Cliff's ex-girlfriend and fellow researcher Robin. She becomes increasing suspicious when her attempts to duplicate his results end in failure......

This is the start of a complex and intriguing story of human motives, desires and relationships together with interesting insights into scientific method and behaviour. Human and scientific objectivity and subjectivity become so mixed up that the ultimate truth about the research and its true interpretation can not be distinguished amongst the human behaviour, motives and ambition. The 'truth' about the research leaves the lab and becomes embroiled in assessment and evaluation by senior research institutes and finally at US Senate Committee where there are political as well as scientific questions to be resolved.

The author - who was new to me - has written an excellent narrative, with significant characters, an enterprising and interesting story-line, and an atmospheric expression of research laboratory/institute life - which many readers will experience for the first time.

The book succeeds in bringing together both the 'scientific ethos and intensity of the laboratory' in its search for success, recognition and grants with it's highly focused pursuit of knowledge and ultimately a recognition of its fallibility. The storyline is very strong on the inconvenience of human attitude and character that can undermine this idealism in the search for power and influence.

The book is an excellent read; first-class storytelling; contains outstanding characters and the author has the skill and the gift as an excellent observer of personalities.

Do read the book - scientist or not - you are in for a treat. "It is too good to be true..."

Many, if not all, novels I've read about science fall into the trap of exaggeration - most typically the scientists themselves are deranged or the discoveries they (attempt to) make are earth-shattering (sometimes literally! Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg being one example). Rarely is the reality presented in as realistic and yet compelling manner as is done in this excellent novel. Science, in this case cancer biology research, is laid out in all its boring, frustrating detail, in which three years' effort can result in an incremental advance - if you are lucky.
Cliff and Robin, two postdocs (postdoctoral researchers) in a small institute on the doorstep of the infinitely more prestigious and rich Harvard University, work insanely long hours at their repetitive tasks as well as having a relationship. Robin is the senior, and is jealous when Cliff's experiments injecting cancerous mice with a virus result in the disappearance of the tumours. Robin is moved off her fruitless project by Marion, the lab chief, and told to assist Cliff. She discovers what she believes to be evidence that Cliff has not recorded all his data in his lab notebook; in other words, his results (now to be published in the prestigious journal Nature) are selective, and hence don't stand up. Robin attempts to engage Marion and her co-chief, the charismatic medical doctor Sandy, in her concern but although a private internal enquiry is held, Robin's worries are dismissed and she herself feels unable to continue working in the lab.
As well as the story of what happens next, and how a simple concern can get blown out of all proportion and misused by those with very different agendas, Intuition is a portrait of Marion's and Sandy's families; how their spouses and children live with such committed and driven people, and how the events set in chain by Robin affect them all. The novel also describes the mundane yet intensely competitive daily lab routine of the postdocs and technicians, drawing the reader in to the personal lives of these individuals as well as observing how they react to the climate of suspicion that prevails in the aftermath of Cliff's apparent breakthrough.
Intuition is an utterly authentic book: several of the cases and personalities described in it are real (though names have been changed), and are depicted with confidence. By providing the perspectives of most of the main characters, most particularly Robin, Cliff and Marion, as well as Sandy's daughter Kate, we can see that there are no obvious villains or heroes - nobody is too sympathetic, and nobody is too black. Just like real life, in fact. I highly recommend this book both as a compelling depiction of life at the cutting edge of modern biology research, and as an absorbing, well-constructed novel.

I bought this after reading the glowing review in the Economist magazine. The book reads like a thriller, but with vivid, complex characterisation. The author has done her research and the detail on scientific processes and the professional culture seems spot on.

The book involves themes of personal motivation and fulfilment, the consequences and ambiguity of success and failure, and the hazy line where honesty turns into something else. I find I am pondering the issues and implications days after finishing it. I predict that when this gets a proper UK publication it will be a hit, and rightly so.