November begins with a unusual New England snow storm which reeked havoc on trees and power lines. School has been canceled for days now and until recently we didn't have power either. The good part of no electronics is it means more time to read. My daughter and I finished one book and are well on our way to finishing the second in just a few days. So what's my choice for this week?"In a Heartbeat" by Loretta Ellsworth
Scholastic Publishing, ISBN 978545389600
Amelia and Egan are two teenage girls who lives are about to link in ways neither of them imagined.
Eagan is an outgoing, driven young figure skater; determined to push herself to the Olympics. There are secrets in her family that complicate her relationship with her parents, especially with her overbearing "skater-mom" mother. She just received her driver's license, just got a boy friend and wants to experience life a little, much to her mothers dismay.
Amelia's personality and family life is opposite from Egan's. Amelia is quiet and unassuming. Athletics are no longer possible since Amelia received news six years ago that her heart was defective. She is apprehensive about receiving a new heart, knowing that her joy is obtained through the tragedy of another. Amelia is on the heart donor transplant list.
Yes, you are correct if you think you know where this story is heading. Eagan's life is cut short when she falls during a jump at her skating competition. Amelia is to receive Eagan's heart since Eagan checked the organ donor box on her drivers license.
This story is told from alternating viewpoints of Eagan and Amelia. Amelia finds from the moment she wakes up in the hospital that she is carrying more than just the heart of her donor. Amelia starts taking on characteristics of her new donor. Some neurophychologists call this cellular memory, theorizing that memory is not exclusive to brain cells. Eagan's story is told from the fog of the afterlife, she sees her life, both the good part and bad, through memories. Eagan's drive in life and conflicts with her mother pushes Amelia to find her donor's parents and give them closure.
Personally, I found this story to be an excellent YA book. I was interested in the way the author showed the personality of both girls, shaped by their family relationships. The subject of organ donation was also a often overlooked subject for a young adult book. Loretta Ellsworth did a superb job dealing with this subject of young people who have to deal with organ donation and those who lose their lives unexpectedly.
