The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley
A Novel
Contributors
By Shelley Wood
Formats and Prices
- On Sale
- Aug 6, 2024
- Page Count
- 416 pages
- Publisher
- Union Square & Co.
- ISBN-13
- 9781454956297
Price
$18.99Format
Format:
- Trade Paperback $18.99
- ebook $9.99
Buy from Other Retailers:
“A capriciously imagined historical epic that captures the essence of a century through the remarkable life of Kit McKinley. . . . Wood deftly weaves genetic discovery and society’s fascination with eugenics into a highly unique, engrossing tale of love and family.”
—Cathy Marie Buchanan, New York Times bestselling author of The Painted Girls
February 29, 1916: After an unusually long pregnancy, Lillian McKinley, whose husband has been killed in the war, gives birth to a baby girl on Leap Year Day. Kit proves to be a happy and intelligent child, but unnaturally slow to age. For decades, she and her family must keep on the move to protect her secret—from insatiable newshounds, Nazi scientists, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies. When Kit at last can pass for an adult, she must decide whether she wants to stay perpetually on the run or form lasting ties. Ultimately, once the human genome is mapped and research on altering it begins, she’ll need to make some difficult choices about the strange quirk in her DNA that has made her who she is.
Perfect for fans of Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life and Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Leap Year Gene is a race through the past century’s burgeoning understanding of genetics, eugenics, and what constitutes “normal,” while exploring the tensions, love, and sense of duty that can bind families together or split them apart.
You May Also Like
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
