Come again? Eternal youth? Not exactly. You see, animals don't die; their cells lose the ability to replicate, then it is curtains. This wonder drug seems to enhance the cell's longevity. Chris is carefully and secretly experimenting first with rats and then with monkeys. He is at the breakthrough point when the word gets out to his employers and some really bad underworld types. Chris packs up his family and runs, but not before he is framed for murder and terrorism.
Chris's character arc is improbable. He begins by being a rather vain, workaholic with an abnormal fear of contracting Alzheimer's disease like his father. In a drunken moment, he takes the drug and, in a well-written and described sequence, is shown over a period of six weeks becoming a young man at the peak of his powers. His clever plans and improvisions to remain hidden make for fascinating reading. But his character evolves into an almost Christ-like figure of understanding and sacrifice. This spiritual person bears little resemblance to the Chris in the earlier part of the novel. The reader can accept the physical changes, but the underlying character turnaround is not believable.
The author does a good job examining the ethics of such a drug and its implications. Some have criticized the shallowness of the discussion, but I believe in a novel of this type, profundities are not in order. I have the advantage (disadvantage?) of reading Mr. Braver's second novel "Gray Matter" before I read this one. I think he grows in maturity and some of the loose threads and improbabilities evident in "Elixir" are absent in the stronger second novel.
"Elixir" has a pace like lightning, and is a most satisfactory read. It may even make you think some after it is over.
This is, however, a plot driven novel, rather than character driven. As such, the characters, at times, may not seem fully fleshed. This is no matter, as the characters serve to move the plot along, and a very intriguing plot it is. What would you do if you were offered a chance to drink from the fountain of youth?
That is just the opportunity that is offered to Christopher Bacon, an intrepid chemist/biologist and premier researcher for a Boston based pharmaceutical company, while doing research on medicinal plants in the rainforest of Papua, New Guinea. When a tribal medicine man offers him the opportunity for longevity in the guise of a flower, Christopher decides to conduct secret, unauthorized experiments on the flower at his laboratory.
Unbeknownst to Christopher, however, Quentin Cross, the pharmaceutical firm's Chief Financial Officer, is gambling heavily on the success of a potential cancer wonder drug that Christopher and his staff are working on. Quentin finds himself in the untenable position of being financially indebted to a murderous drug baron for the crop of the very high-priced, indigenous apricots necessary to the production of the hoped for synthetic toxogen.
When the production yield of the toxogen turns out not to be commercially viable and the piper must be paid, a desperate Quentin discovers the secret experiments that Christopher has been conducting. It appears that laboratory test animals have stopped aging and have even had their biological clocks turned back. Quentin sees this as his chance for salvation from certain death at the hands of the drug lord to whom he owes a great deal of money.
It seems that Christopher has produced a commercially viable compound from that rainforest flower, which can retard the aging process and extend one's life span. It does, however, have a catch to it. Moreover, this so called wonder drug will serve to create a philosophical divide between Christopher and his wife. Little does he know the effect that his discovery would have on him, his family, his friends, and, ultimately, the world.
This novel has enough twists and turns to keep the most demanding reader satisfied. It is multi-layered and complex, providing an entertaining and engrossing read while proffering a whole host of ethical, philosophical, and public policy dilemmas for consideration. This outstanding thriller provides much food for thought buried between its lines. It is a book that will have the reader riveted to its pages until the very last one is turned.