In the not-so-distant future, organs can be re-grown from a handful of stem cells. For patients who can afford the treatment and hang on to life support for long enough, the prognosis is good. Even the most complex organ of all can be reproduced in the lab with nearly perfect accuracy. Nearly.

Patients of brain regeneration face a wide range of problems, from loss of motor functions or intelligence to sociopathy. Spurred by personal tragedy, research scientist William Dalal works feverishly to improve the lives of those he has had a hand in saving. For every success, however, there is a consequence, and eventually a question arises in his mind: Are they worth it? His desire to help fades as he comes to realize a shocking truth: the monsters he has created are taking over.

As Will walks a fine line between altruism and ambition, acquaintances and events change the way in which he perceives the world and the extent to which he is willing to compromise in order to make his mark on it. As the situation escalates, he finds himself dealing brain-enhancing drugs and developing life-altering treatments. In their deliverance, he sees his own—but is he deluding himself?

“A novel of sparkling intelligence and wit, in the end it brings home searching ethical questions, about what it means to be human, and what it means to be real.” — Louis B. Jones

“Provocative and unnerving, The Brill Pill is a whip-smart, propulsive, too-close-for-comfort exploration of what happens when scientific curiosity, moral limits, and personal ambition collide. An intoxicating thrill of a read from a dazzling new voice.” — Catherine Chung, author of The Tenth Muse and Forgotten Country 

“Smart and engaging, The Brill Pill caught my attention from its very beginning and never let up. Complex scientific and ethical concepts are conveyed with wit and confidence, and this near-future morality play is made all-too-believable. I’m looking forward to reading more from Akemi Brodsky!” — Pippa Goldschmidt, author of The Falling Sky

“The Brill Pill is a lively and thought-provoking novel from a highly promising young writer. In scientist anti-hero Will, Akemi Brodsky has created a Victor Frankenstein for our time – an ambitious academic who lets personal rivalries deflect his moral compass, making him push the boundaries of genetics too far.” — Andrew Crumey, author of Beethoven’s Assassins and Pfitz

“Brodsky transports us into a strange new world of regenerative science that is uncomfortably close to our own. Dark, intense and compelling, this fully immersive lab-based tale – told from the eyes of a flawed but all-too-human scientist – probes at deep questions of medical ethics, society, love, friendship, consciousness and the all-consuming landscape of modern scientific research.” — Jennifer L. Rohn, author of Cat Zero, The Honest Look and Experimental Heart, and editor of LabLit.com