“The Heart” by Maylis de Kerangal (translated by Sam Taylor)

This is a work of fiction centering around a heart transplant. Which means that our young donor, Simon, dies less than 20 pages in. This definitely isn’t a depressing story; it is more about life than it is about death. The narrative intimately describes the lives of everyone involved in this procedure, from Simon’s friends to the nurse in the ICU to the recipient of his heart.

The writing (and the translation) of this book is absolutely gorgeous, sentences seem to flow on ad infinetum giving the story a unique pacing and feel. Actions are often written as long descriptions, giving the reader an impression of motion and occurrences that meld together to create the scene rather than a direct line of cause and effect. It flows beautifully and makes it a joy to read.

Of course, this book also discusses the symbolic nature of the heart, through Simon’s girlfriend and love of surfing. Repeatedly it is wondered if the recipient of his heart will enjoy hearing the sound of waves, if the heart will retain some memory of being Simon’s. But the story is more based on realism than anything else, so the recipient never has any knowledge of Simon, and hospital policies of anonymity are accurately described.

The story begins by describing the heart within Simon, but it ends with the surgeons closing up the incisions on the recipient. We never get to hear about how the heart does under new management, or what the recipient even feels with it inside her. It’s an interesting choice for an ending, and one that makes it clear that the focus of this story is on the heart itself, not on the lives around it. It’s an interesting take on modern medicine, and one that blends together the symbolic and medical aspects of heart transplants.