Mendel's Dwarf

Like his great-great-great uncle, the early geneticist Gregor Mendel, Dr Benedict Lambert is struggling to unlock the secrets of heredity. But for Benedict the mission is particularly urgent and personal, for his is afflicted by achondroplasia. He is a dwarf. When a chance meeting leads him to the acceptance that he craves, he begins a journey towards correcting the injustice of his own capricious genes, with devastating consequences.

“This is a rare read: a scientifically informed, passionately intelligent novel which is also deeply moving-- Daily Telegraph”

This is a rare read: a scientifically informed, passionately intelligent novel which is also deeply moving Telegraph
A serious novel shot through with laugher, it is also a love story . . . Impressive The Times
Dark, funny and bitter . . . the ethical dilemmas of modern genetic research in a love story that lurches from sharp humour to jaw-dropping sadness . . . Marvellous Independent

Simon Mawer was born in 1948 in England, and spent his childhood there, in Cyprus and in Malta. He has lived with his wife in Italy for more than 20 years, and he teaches at the English School in Rome.

Like his great-great-great uncle, the early geneticist Gregor Mendel, Dr Benedict Lambert is struggling to unlock the secrets of heredity. But for Benedict the mission is particularly urgent and personal, for his is afflicted by achondroplasia. He is a dwarf. When a chance meeting leads him to the acceptance that he craves, he begins a journey towards correcting the injustice of his own capricious genes, with devastating consequences.As intelligent as it is entertaining, this witty novel is a gripping tale of scientific intrigue and moral uncertainty.

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