The Heart Broke In

The Heart Broke In (2012) by James Meek. Ritchie Shepherd, an aging pop star and producer of a reality show for teen talent, is cheating on his wife with a sixteen-year-old girl. His beautiful sister, Bec, is getting close to discovering a cure for malaria. Val Oatman, the editor of a powerful tabloid newspaper, is in love with Bec and wants to marry her. Alex, a gene therapist (and former drummer with Ritchie's band) thinks he  might actually have discovered a cure for aging. He, too, is in love with Bec and thinks he might marry her. The various characters are interwoven in a complex plot that provides hours of entertainment for the reader, and a satisfying conclusion that wraps up the novel nicely. This is a very well written book, with many incisive insights into human nature and the characters that populate it. I enjoyed it immensely. Grade: A-