Akin by Emma Donoghue

 On Oprah's book list, O Magazine proclaimed Akin  "a soul stirring" novel.  From my view, it did not produce what I had anticipated.  Donoghue is no stranger to writing, nor to intergenerational characters such as Michael and Noah.  Seventy nine year old Noah finds himself the only living relative of 11 year old Michael after his mother is incarcerated from a drug charge that she apparently took the hit for.

As Noah embarks on a trip to his boyhood home of Nice, France; he must grudgingly take his new charge along with him or cancel his trip.  There are some comical exchanges between the two, but mostly Noah fails at connecting his scientific brain with the interests of this wounded boy.

Not a chemistry fan, the long educational illustrations from Noah bored me.  I was frustrated by Michael's total disrespect, even knowing he was consistently testing his new caregiver.  Having never had children, and having given up on his nephew (Michael's father), Noah did not have the resources to understand nor relate to this boy.  The good news is that by the end of the book, he wanted to try.

Arthur Truluv was a much more likeable character, who had empathy and common sense in relating to his newly found teen-age friend, in The Story of Arthur Truluv.  Akin did not resonate with me.