It’s true of any change that there’s the possibility of unintended consequences. I wonder if, when companies like Ancestry decided to offer DNA testing, they considered what the fall out would be for those who, like Dani Shapiro, discovered something they really weren’t expecting. Shapiro took a test almost casually at the prompting of her half-sister (I must confess I have some doubts about the half-sister’s motivations here) and discovered that the man she’d always thought of as her father wasn’t her biological father at all. With neither parent alive, she embarks on what’s part psychology book, part memoir and part detective story to find out the truth about her conception and birth. It’s so beautifully written and completely up my alley. I’d highly recommend.
For another story (even more incredible, and in depth) about the unexpected results of a DNA test, see this piece in The Washington Post. It’s truly astonishing (you can read without subscribing if you click through). Inheritance is out now in the UK. I bought my copy.
