Open Heart: A Poignant and Gripping Historical Novel about the Enduring Power of Love

"Sharply honed as a scalpel, Open Heart is mesmerizing and profound, a superb novel that is guaranteed to bring pleasure and a deeper understanding of the human condition to those who read it."--Daly Walker, MD, author of Surgeon's Stories

"Open Heart is a gentle coming of age story that leaves readers wanting more, yet gives them a sense of comfort as they reach the end."--Ravia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

"Greg Williams has written a beautiful and evocative novel about a young man's singular and authentic quest to make meaning of life."--Billy Lombardo, author of The Man With Two Arms

"In matters of the heart, a single lapse of judgment can prove fatal. In this wise and tender novel, a young man finds out if he can live up to his father's reputation and his own expectations of himself. Greg Williams is a terrific writer!"--Ron Carlson, author of Saturday Night at the Jim Bridger and Return to Oakpine

Life is fleeting. Love is a gift.

In this coming of age novel set in the 1970s, Gene Hull is whitewashing the trunks of Arizona citrus trees when he spots a beautiful girl and falls instantly in love. The girl is vulnerable and shy. Though Gene breaks through her reserve, a date at a wave park turns into a near disaster. Gene must call on the one person he can always rely on—his doctor father.

Although the girl survives and Gene wins her over, they're about to leave for college. Is she truly "the one," or will distance drive them apart?

When a freak accident blows a hole in Gene's freshman year, his grades tank, and he bobbles the ball with the love of his life. She's gone forever. Not only that, but he'll never get into med school on grades alone.

Hoping to improve his chances of admission, he spends the summer trailing a famous heart surgeon. But can Gene, determined to live up to his father's legacy, turn his summer in the "Heart Room"—an operating theater of chilling cold, bone saws, and macabre humor—into an experience that would make his father proud? Will he ever love again?

If you like novels where family life is complicated, and parents' expectations trickle down into their children's lives, then you'll love Gregory D. Williams' roman à clef about life, love, and finding one's own true path.

Buy Open Heart today for an inside look at a team of surgeons healing broken hearts and a young man trying desperately to heal his own.