Book #64 week #46, Origin by Jessica Khoury

Origin by Jessica Khoury is another book that was given to me and has just been sitting on the shelf so I decided to give it a go. This book reminded me a lot of State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Both are set in the amazon with scientist researching anti-aging anti-death drugs.

Pia is seventeen. Born in the scientist camp and has never stepped foot outside the electric fence surrounding it. Oh and she is immortal. The goal of the camp is to make more immortal humans. Pia was made that way through five generations of experimentation. She is content with her life. Pia is being set up through a series of mental tests to take over for the head researcher when the time comes. She is brilliant in science and math but knows nothing of the outside world.

Everything is going smoothly until the night of Pia's birthday. While sitting in her glass room she notices an upturned tree has cause a hole in the electric fence. Suddenly Pia finds herself going through the hole and running through the jungle. While on her escaped she runs into a boy quite literally! I should say man he is eighteen after all.  Eio is a member of the nearby indigenous tribe but he does not look like the typical tribe member. He confesses to Pia that his father is one of the scientist from the camp. It doesn't take much to make the sheltered Pia highly intrigued by this new world.

Soon Pia finds herself drawn to Eio and questioning the only life shes ever known and the very people she trusts so dearly. Just days after her first venture outside the gate two representatives of the company funding the immortal project show up to see how things are coming along. The representatives are not pleased with the slow pace of the project and force the head researcher to give Pia her last test forcing her to take over as head of the compound. Finally Pia will know what the catalyst to immortal life is and it is a shocker....

Being the debut novel from Jessica Khoury I was really surprised how much I liked Origin. The writing is good and the story really flows nicely. The character were very interesting with surprising ghosts in their closets and interesting back stories. I found the pace of this book worked really well, there are enough little shockers sprinkled throughout the book that I did not find myself waiting impatiently for the big bombshell to be reveled. If you liked Ann Patchett's State of Wonder you might enjoy Origin as well.

Quote:
“Now, when he touches me, I feel nothing but Eio, pure and whole and constant. Now, when I look into his eyes, I don't see death- but eternity. For the first time in my life, I am looking into someone's gaze and realizing that not only do I understand what's in his eyes... he understands whats in mine.”