Instructions for a Secondhand Heart
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A moving novel about grief, guilt, and the unpredictability of love, for fans of Everything, Everything and All the Bright Places.
Jonny knows better than anyone that life is full of cruel ironies. He's spent every day in a hospital hooked up to machines to keep his heart ticking. Then when an organ donor is found for Jonny's heart, that turns out to be the cruelest irony of all. Because for Jonny's life to finally start, someone else's had to end.
That someone turns out to be Neve's twin brother, Leo. When Leo was alive, all Neve wanted was for him (and all his glorious, overshadowing perfection) to leave. Now that Leo's actually gone forever, Neve has no idea how to move forward. Then Jonny walks into her life looking for answers, her brother's heart beating in his chest, and everything starts to change.
Together, Neve and Jonny will have to face the future, no matter how frightening it is, while learning to heal their hearts, no matter how much it hurts.
Features select graphic novel illustrations from Jonny's sketchbook.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jonny Webb, almost 16, has a life-threatening heart condition that has kept him in the hospital for years. Plugged into a machine that keeps blood pumping through his body, Jonny holds onto the hope that a donor heart will become available, but that means someone his age has to die. After 15-year-old Neve Brody's twin brother, Leo, has a fatal fall, his organs are donated, and his heart is a perfect match for Jonny. For the first time, Jonny feels as though he may have a future, but he can't help wondering whose life was cut short. His investigation leads him to Neve, who is trying to figure out how her family can move on without Leo. British author Murray explores teen illness and death realistically, shifting between Jonny and Neve's viewpoints. Given the setup, tears are expected, but Neve's hard edges and Jonny's enthusiasm for his new life keep the story from turning maudlin. Readers should find it easy to cheer on these two misfits who are figuring how they fit in and fit together. Ages 15 up.
