SuitabookIn a heartbeat
Loretta Ellsworth
- Reading
- Because the opening includes a sudden death, consider checking in before and during reading. Pause after perspective shifts to compare what each girl wants, fears or misunderstands, then discuss organ donation as a complex subject involving hope, grief, guilt and family impact.
- Themes
- Life after loss: Eagan’s death makes Amelia’s renewed life possible, while Eagan remains unable to move on from unresolved matters. The story presents donation through intertwined human consequences rather than as a one-sided argument, holding hope and loss together.
- Mothers and growing independence: Eagan feels constrained by her mother’s investment in skating; Amelia begins testing independence after prolonged dependence on her mother’s care. The relationships are portrayed with tensions and affection rather than as purely supportive or purely harmful; both girls can feel irritated by and need their mothers.
- Identity and perspective: The girls’ stories alternate, and Amelia wonders whether new dreams and interests may come from Eagan. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Worth knowing
- Expect death and bereavement at the outset, alongside serious illness, transplantation and emotional uncertainty. Romantic elements are present but described as light and tender; family conflict centres on control, care, dependence and growing independence.