Official Review: The Cure by Darryl Bollinger

[inaramid]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Cure" by Darryl Bollinger.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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As far as notoriety goes, the flu doesn’t inspire half the fear and despair that cancer does in people, but this seemingly innocuous disease can still kill—and when it does, it takes lives in bulk. Consider the 1918 flu pandemic that killed over 50 million people worldwide, or in recent times, recall the 2009 H1N1 outbreak.

While humanity has emerged victorious from these medical crises, researchers have yet to completely inoculate human beings from all strains of the flu virus. The virus is evolving, adapting…learning novel ways to kill, and yet, scientists can only “stalk the killer,” developing remedies after the damage has already been done. As of December 2017, nearly a century after the 1918 flu pandemic, a team at the University of Oxford is still attempting to develop a universal flu vaccine (https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jix591).

As it stands, one thing is terrifyingly clear: If another flu pandemic were to occur now, humanity will be as vulnerable as they were a hundred years ago regardless of all technological advancements that have been made. So much for modern science.

Mankind’s vulnerability to the danger of flu pandemics provides the backdrop for Darryl Bollinger’s latest medical thriller, The Cure. In the book, Bollinger presents the reverse of a Contagion-esque scenario, where a cure has been developed way ahead of the outbreak of the disease. The story follows Dr. Eric Carter, a physician and researcher, who has spent the past decade of his life developing the first universal flu vaccine. When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denies approval of the drug, Eric and others involved in the project are thrown for a loop, prompting each to act in the service of some personal agenda—money, science, or the greater good. While Eric’s convictions take him to a moral and legal course of action to appeal the FDA’s decision, others take a controversial—and ultimately, lethal—route. After all, if they already have the cure, all they needed was the disease, right?

The Cure takes the readers behind the scenes of the healthcare industry, offering a holistic view that integrates not only the medical but also the political and the commercial aspects that come with the development of a wonder drug. At its core, however, the central conflict in The Cure is ethical, as readers are enjoined to weigh the morality of the decisions made by different characters toward the accomplishment of a similar goal.

By employing a third-person omniscient point of view, The Cure places the readers in the shoes of everyone involved, giving a sense of why each has acted the way he or she has done. We see in Frank, Eric’s boss, the greed of a businessman who values profit over human lives. We see in Nicole, Eric’s brilliant colleague, the clinical detachment of a scientist who subscribes to the logic of “killing millions to save billions.” And in Eric himself, we see the sincerity of a person who simply wants to do something good for the world.

The Cure is marketed as a medical thriller, but against expectations, the book is quite slow in revealing its premise. The prologue didn’t connect to the rest of the story until after about 60% of the book, making several of the earlier chapters feel unnecessarily protracted. There were also passages that came across as repetitive, although those could have been meant to reinforce the readers' understanding of the medical concepts discussed.

That being said, my impression of The Cure is generally positive. As far as I could tell, the book was free of editing errors. It had well-developed characters, a strong plot, and a message that is sure to trigger debates. As a master’s degree holder in health administration, Bollinger handled the subject matter with authority, fashioning a tale that might not be as “thrilling” as advertised but was an informative read all the same. For these reasons, I rate The Cure 4 out of 4 stars. Fans of Robin Cook will likely enjoy this tale, as will anyone who is interested in pandemics and their impact on the world as we know it.

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The Cure
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Like inaramid's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Kat Berg]

I went through my Robin Cook phase ages ago , but I am not sure that this book is quite for me. For this kind of book I prefer a fast pace, which this doesn't quite seem to have. Thanks for the review.

[kandscreeley]

I love medical thrillers. I haven't read a good one in a while. This sounds like something I really should try! Thanks for the great information.

[inaramid]

I went through my Robin Cook phase ages ago , but I am not sure that this book is quite for me. For this kind of book I prefer a fast pace, which this doesn't quite seem to have. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for dropping by! This book reminded me of Robin Cook in some way but minus the fast pace. The concept and characters more than made up for this though.

[inaramid]

I love medical thrillers. I haven't read a good one in a while. This sounds like something I really should try! Thanks for the great information.

I hope you enjoy this kandscreeley!

[Roggyrus]

To give justice to the well-premised book, your review is delightfully well-informed about medical affairs and global history. The book is dealing with scientific discoveries in the field of medicine but became more a study of ethical concepts with regards to the appreciation of such discoveries. In a way, this could be analogous to the practice of some developed nations which developed advanced armaments and therefor instigated a war in some places in order to use and test those weapons. I hope I am not wrong in this assumption, as I have not read the book yet. Thanks to your review.

[inaramid]

To give justice to the well-premised book, your review is delightfully well-informed about medical affairs and global history. The book is dealing with scientific discoveries in the field of medicine but became more a study of ethical concepts with regards to the appreciation of such discoveries. In a way, this could be analogous to the practice of some developed nations which developed advanced armaments and therefor instigated a war in some places in order to use and test those weapons. I hope I am not wrong in this assumption, as I have not read the book yet. Thanks to your review.

Thanks for dropping by, Roggyrus, and thanks for offering your perspective on the matter. I guess it could be viewed that way. Scientific discoveries are not destructive in themselves--until people use them for their own purposes.

[Manang Muyang]

Hi, Kabayan! I am a diehard Robin Cook fan and have most of his books in hardcopy. He also has a book entitled Cure.

I am willing to try Bollinger's brand of medical thrillers. This seems to be a good one.

[inaramid]

Hi, Kabayan! I am a diehard Robin Cook fan and have most of his books in hardcopy. He also has a book entitled Cure.

Wow, I didn't realize that! I just went to Amazon to check it out. I'm amazed at the sheer number of Cook books (no pun intended, haha) I've missed since I've gone past my medical thriller binge. He's still my go-to guy for this genre, but Bollinger is certainly worth a try.

[Ndiwalana]

Indeed we need solutions to these diseases that seem to be incurable so will give it a try.

[inaramid]

Indeed we need solutions to these diseases that seem to be incurable so will give it a try.

It seems like a far-off dream still. It's a scary thought, but science might eventually catch up. Thanks for dropping by.

[Joy Boudreau]

Yikes! This is the perfect storm of a plot. From a simple thing like the flu that could (and does) kill many people a year and looking for a cure, to dealing with dark conspiracies about the FDA and the health industry. Too bad the action doesn't get going until more than halfway through the book. Otherwise, this could be amazing!

[MsTri]

Wo-o-ow! Thanks for that entrancing review! I probably would not have read this based on its synopsis, but I'm sold now. As someone who gets my flu shot without fail every year, I'm really interested in the concept of this book. Yay!

[inaramid]

Too bad the action doesn't get going until more than halfway through the book. Otherwise, this could be amazing!

I agree. It was the "thriller" label that actually made me a little bit critical about the pacing. I would have knocked off a star, but considering that the author devoted the early chapters to character development, I didn't take this factor against him.

Wo-o-ow! Thanks for that entrancing review! I probably would not have read this based on its synopsis, but I'm sold now. As someone who gets my flu shot without fail every year, I'm really interested in the concept of this book. Yay!

Thanks, MsTri! As someone who DOESN'T get a flu shot like, EVER, I was made more aware of the dangers of this "common" flu.

[Al Chakauya]

What a great review!- exciting, comprehensive and profound. A great insight into the "behind the scenes actions" in the medical arena. Intertwining the political and commercial aspirations for the development of a drug tempts me to read the book though this is not my kind of genre.