Olivia Carr

One of the central characters in Double Blind is Olivia Carr, an academic whose work focuses on epigenetics. Francis describes Olivia as “pretty, [with] dark brown hair [that] set off her pale blue eyes in an obviously striking way” (4). Olivia’s parents, Martin and Lizzie Carr, adopted her when she was a baby. Olivia later meets her biological mother, Karen, who tells her about her abusive biological father and her previously unknown brother. Olivia’s academic work stems, in part, from the knowledge of her adoption. She “[battles] against genetic fundamentalism” (47) in an attempt to prove that her individual self is not determined by the genetic inheritance she received from her biological parents.

At the novel’s start, Olivia begins a romantic relationship with Francis, a naturalist. She quickly introduces him to her childhood best friend, Lucy Russell. Together, they navigate Lucy’s diagnosis of brain cancer...