Parasite, by Mira Grant

Parasite by Mira Grant

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Having read 4 of Mira Grant’s novels, I have to wonder who she trusts the least: the media, science, government, or parents. None of those entities come out looking good in her books, although all have what they feel are valid reasons for taking (or not taking) actions that impact others negatively. Money and power often play huge roles, as does the butterfly effect: when one decision or action—even with good intentions—has unanticipated ripple effects that change the world.

All of these concerns and more present themselves in Grant’s newest work, Parasite (the first in a series of the same name). Set about 15 years in the future, the book tells the story of Sal Mitchell, a young woman who in many ways is even younger: She has no memory prior to a car accident 6 years earlier after which she was saved from the brink of death by a genetically modified tapeworm. In fact, almost everyone, in the U.S. at least, has one of these implants, made by one company and created to address antibacterial resistance and immunodeficiency. As is usually the case, this miracle cure for everything from allergies to diabetes is too good to be true.

Like most first books in a series, Parasite takes its time revealing the situation—Sal’s history as well as the story of the implants—unravelling details and bit of information via Sal’s current experiences as well as article and book excerpts from various sources, including 3 creators of the implants. Though the book may move slowly, with a lot of detail about how Sal got to her current place in the world, the story itself captured my interest from the beginning and didn’t let go. Grant uses cliffhangers well, so that you just have to peek into that next chapter to see what happened. Alas, she ended the book the same way, so I felt like someone snatched away a piece of chocolate cake after allowing only one bite. Hopefully, Grant will fill the time until the appearance of the second book with related novellas, as she did with her Newsflesh series.




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