Rapid Growth

As doctors scramble for an explanation, terrible, inexplicable tumors--known as teratomas--ravage children and adults, dividing human cells relentlessly to form a bizarre and alien shape

Hanner ( Premature ), in her new medical thriller, tells the story of an affluent family in northern California that must uncover how and why people and pets are dying in droves. The husband, Alan, is a surgeon who begins to see more and more cases of patients--including pregnant women--with teratomas, malignant growths made up of human DNA. When his wife, Kate, becomes pregnant and one of their sons begins to show symptoms of the cancer, his stakes for solving this mystery go up. The blame for these monstrous growths falls on a sleazeball manufacturer of faulty microwave ovens that irradiate their users with cancerous rays. The grotesque descriptions of the growths are the best part of the novel, and the characters are complex enough to keep up interest. Hanner's portrayals of the ennui of affluence, concern for the environment and even a New Age Native American shaman are timely. The mystery element falters since Hanner reveals the source of the tumors two-thirds of the way through the novel, but the eeriness of their being caused by such a common appliance makes this a diverting piece of horror fiction.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.