Every Borrowed Beat

Its focus is not simply the transplant itself: the story considers how survival can bring difficult questions about identity, grief and what to do with a life once imagined to be short.

Heart failure, transplant and worsening health are central, with grief and survivor’s guilt also present.

What might Sydney owe to herself, and what might she feel she owes to the person whose heart she received? How could those feelings shape her choices?

Because serious illness and loss are closely tied to the story, consider checking in as you read. You could pause around the transplant and grief themes, and let the reader set the pace for discussing them.