This novel set in 1970's Arizona follows a young college grad, Gene, as he navigates his first major heartbreak and figures out the kind of man he wants to be, all while grappling with his late father's legacy and perceived expectations. Gene's summer working in the heart room at his father's hospital is interspersed with flashbacks that tell the story of Gene's first love and his relationship with his father, a well-loved anesthesiologist.
The first half of the novel was slower for me, but by the second half I started to connect more with the characters and found it very engaging and compulsively readable. The characters were flawed but endearing, and felt very authentic. Their decisions were sometimes frustrating, especially Gene's, but this felt true to life and allowed them to grow (again, especially Gene) throughout the story. The medical scenes in the heart room include well-written technical details while still generating tension and conveying the high stakes of the open heart surgeries occurring. Gene's discovery of who his parents truly are/were in relation to his own perceptions of them growing up was especially poignant, and I also enjoyed his relationships with the various members of the heart team.
This novel felt very personal and I was sad to see that the author passed away in 2020. The author's voice and insight into human nature, especially the emotional journeys of navigating first love/heartbreak and growing into a person separate from your parents' legacy, shone through. This book is a lovely testimony to life, and the wonder that is a human heart, with all its messiness and joy.
The first half of the novel was slower for me, but by the second half I started to connect more with the characters and found it very engaging and compulsively readable. The characters were flawed but endearing, and felt very authentic. Their decisions were sometimes frustrating, especially Gene's, but this felt true to life and allowed them to grow (again, especially Gene) throughout the story. The medical scenes in the heart room include well-written technical details while still generating tension and conveying the high stakes of the open heart surgeries occurring. Gene's discovery of who his parents truly are/were in relation to his own perceptions of them growing up was especially poignant, and I also enjoyed his relationships with the various members of the heart team.
This novel felt very personal and I was sad to see that the author passed away in 2020. The author's voice and insight into human nature, especially the emotional journeys of navigating first love/heartbreak and growing into a person separate from your parents' legacy, shone through. This book is a lovely testimony to life, and the wonder that is a human heart, with all its messiness and joy.