The Heart: A Novel

One heart, one magnificent heart. The heart in question belongs to Simon Limbres, a 19-year-old boy, not a perfect boy, a passionate surfer who has barely has had the chance to inhabit the person he will become. In this astoundingly good novel, Malis De Kerangal introduces us to Simon briefly, when he is thrumming with life, surfing on a cold morning with two good friends. Just pages later, he is close to death, the result of a car accident. The effect is jarring: life contrasted with death, risk contrasted with the mundane. Simon is at the core of those connected by his single beating heart, yet this book is never maudlin or manipulative. In long sentences, written with lyricism and confidence, we meet those who are just a heartbeat away – and they are portrayed in exquisitely precise detail. Marianne, his mother and Sean, his father must grapple with the worst news a parent can ever imagine hearing, with the most potent stew of emotions (anger, disbelief, numbness, all at once). When Marianne calls Sean to inform him, and hears his innocent voice, she thinks of it as “the voice of life before”. There is Thomas Remige of the Coordinating Committee for Organ and Tissue Removal, the man intimately attuned to life, who sings Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols and revels in the delicate song of his rare Algerian goldfinch. It will fall to him to walk that precarious line between honoring the family’s wishes and honoring life itself by the reuse of the organs. There is the hedonist heart surgeon Virgilio, who is as passionate fan of soccer (and France is about to play Italy) as he is the operating theater. There is Claire, the 51-year-old heart recipient, who is curiously conflicted upon knowing that now, after years of living with no conception of the future, it will open for her through another’s death. We are privy to their most intimate emotions and foibles and they come alive under this author’s exacting tutelage. Most importantly, this narrative transcends plots and even transcends characters. Maylis De Kerangal is looking at the bigger picture: the ubiquitous symbolism of the heart. There are some strikingly beautiful images, a merging of forever time (the rise and fall of the waves Simon loved) with immediate time, and the gravity of recognizing that the “separation between the living and the dead no longer exists.” Kudos to Sam Taylor, the translator. If this isn't a 5 star book, I don't know what is.

This is a story (that starts out) about Simon Limbres. But when Simon is involved in an accident at the opening of the novel, left in a coma/a state of brain death, and declared medically “dead”, still part of him remains the constant throughout— his heart. This book follows many characters: Simon’s parents are there, his girlfriend, too... but a majority of the pages are devoted to the revolving door of doctors and nurses that are in some way involved with Simon’s case. I found this method worked really well- as we were introduced quite fluidly to new characters, we would also get (sometimes) great, long-running passages about them. The prose here is streaming and hypnotic. It can go on for paragraphs at a time, and much can involve some heavy medical jargon, but I found it really quite mesmerizing. The writing absorbed me into this little pocket where only it and I existed. There were times, however, where I thought the author went off a bit on tangents during moments of deep prose. Some of the characters that had pages of prosaic detail, were not even directly involved in the case of Simon’s transplants, and their stories only vaguely relating to the case at hand— there were a few times where I thought it got muddled and went off the tracks (which isn’t always a negative, it just got a wee bit boring). If anything, it’s a gorgeous and ruminative novel on grief and loss, life/death and the in-between, but most importantly, the wonders of the medical world.

You know of the end of one life and the beginning of another but until you read the story you miss the drama, intrigue, excitement, tension, and overwhelming pathos—great story—great writing—great read—

A heart transplant story from the perspective of all those involved including the donor, his parents, sister and girl friend together with the recipient, doctors and nursing staff. As it is a novel, one does not experience strong emotions or feel close to the characters as one would if it was a memoir. There is not a lot of complicated medical terminology so fairly easy to pick up and follow. I think this would be a good book for readers who enjoy novels as opposed to real-life stories.

The Heart in question resides originally in the breast of Simon, a beautiful, not quite average young man, a surfer, who is passionate about life. So passionate he climbs a hill at top speed to reunite with his girl in one of the most romantic scenes I've ever read in fiction. However, after an early morning spent catching the waves with two friends, Simon is thrown through the windscreen of the van carrying them home. This is truly a remarkable book in that it packs so much in so few pages. So many characters come into play, and not one is a cliche. From those who knew Simon before this fateful day, through the entire range of surgeons, specialists and medical personnel who never knew him at all -- each is given an inner life, an identity, drawn with compassion but never romanticized. I can only hope that more of de Kerangal's books become available in English.

The book has to be read for its words and not the story they tell. Rich, beautiful, almost lyrical writing. The storyline, however, lacks drama making for a beautifully composed documentary. Also, the characters are fleeting. Briefly developed and summarily discarded after heir scene. Good-ish read.

I loved so much about this book it’s hard to know where to start. As a nurse I tend not to read any medical fiction because I get very critical when inevitably there are inaccuracies with how people and processes are portrayed. This book surprised me. As an ICU nurse I have participated in the organ procurement process and every storyline of this book was highly relatable. I loved the poetic nature of the prose and how all the emotions were conveyed from every character. On more then one occasion it brought me to tears because I could so clearly remember many of the feelings that were conveyed and the sacred nature of the work which is very difficult to articulate. Happy to see this author (and translator) was able to do just that. A wonderful thought provoking read.

Thanks to Bill Gates"book blog (gates notes) )I discovered this French author and her compelling and informative story The language of I discovered this French author and her compelling and informative story thanks to Bill Gates and his book blog (Gate's Books) As the miracle of the transfer of life unfolds, Kerangal's language adopts s Biblical tone with the mystery of life at its center. The roles of the many professionals involved in this intricate procedure is documented like a finely choreographed ballet with all the beauty and coordination reflected in the comparison. The Heart is both elegant and powerful and adopts a Biblical tone as the miracle of the transplanted heart unfolds. This transfer of life is documented with the precision of a finely choreographed dance with all the beauty and coordination reflected in the analogy