Matters of Chance by Gail Albert

Original copyright 1982
Reprint August 2013
digital copy from NetGalley for review


In New York, Mona, a 34 year-old professor of neurobiology with two sons age 9 & 7 and a husband who is a cardiac surgeon. She feels fortunate to have moved out of Brownsville, leaving her tough Brooklyn childhood behind her. When she discovers she has cancer she needs to reconcile with her own impending mortality. Mona begins a journey into her past and present for relevance and meaning in her life. With the support of her family, she begins to seek treatment including the unconventional, all while trying to recall traumatic childhood events. This is a touching story about terminal illness and reconciliation.