Blog Section

Ferris Wheel by Katie Jackson

Published: 2011

Pages: 278

Summary:

Ferris Wheel is a fictional story about a girl, Kathryn, whose life is changed when she meets the new neighbors and their son, Carson. The two fall in love and are supported by Carson’s mother, who happens to have Huntington’s disease. The story progresses through their high school experience to see Kathryn and Carson eventually married and with children, all while Carson’s mother slowly deteriorates and eventually dies. When Carson begins showing symptoms that could be caused by HD, the couple begins a very life-like portrayal of deciding whether Carson should take the genetic test to see if he has the HD gene.

Ferris Wheel explores living a day-to-day life with HD brilliantly, as it contains the thoughts, emotions, and conversations of characters with HD and their loved ones without it. It covers the topics of testing, physical symptoms, having children, hospice care, and a multitude of other nuances that are specific to families that carry the Huntington’s disease gene. The novel carries much insight from an author that is familiar with having loved ones that live with Huntington’s disease, making it a great read for patients or caregivers that need inspiration and an informative read for those who wish to know more about HD.

CMB 2014