Adam O'Neill is thirty-eight, a successful and ambitious writer and journalist, widely acclaimed for his pithy exposés and thoughtful features. When he discovers he has Motor Neurone Disease he starts to keep a computer diary to help him track his loss of control and choose the time and manner of his death. Through its pages the reader learns of his inner struggle and changing priorities. When is the time right for his exit? Who will help him? Does he have to consider his wife's interests or his mother's scruples?
Trapped in a body that increasingly refuses to obey him, his mind remains alert and he devises a plan for himself - but three women, a doctor, and a peasant farmer have other ideas. Tensions and suspicions intensify, but unknown to Adam, his wife carries her own burden, a haunting secret that could jeopardize what little time they have left together.
This moving story compels the reader to look at the current anomalies in the law which force patients, families and doctors into agonizing situations.
ISBN (10) 1 906307 21 0 ISBN (13) 978 1 906307 21 9
Paperback, 336 pages
Published by Luath Press
This heart-rending book about a young journalist who has all to live for but is dying from Motor Neurone Disease, is written with a rare understanding of the conflicts and horrors of such a death. Those who read it will understand why the law needs to be changed to allow assisted dying as an option for those whose quality of life has disintegrated and who wish to end their unbearable suffering.
Lord Joffe
This is an immensely sensitive and thoughtful book. It tackles in raw and compelling detail the deterioration caused by degenerative disease, while at the same time exploring the ethical issues surrounding assisted dying. The characters are real and attractive; their pain almost tangible. This is an astonishingly authentic-feeling insight with a highly articulate and intelligent central character.
Sheila McLean
Buy Right to Die from Luath Press
