Okay—I'm a big fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde. Talking huge.
Enormous. They don't come any more devoted than me. And SECOND HAND HEART is my
favorite of all of Hyde's books.
There's just something about this book. In the first place, it was my introduction to the concept of cellular memory; I have to say that I'm fascinated by the idea that we don't just make memories with our minds but with our entire beings—leave it to Hyde to zero in on such a beautiful idea and build a book around it. But there are also so many poignant passages here...a tree / death analogy early on in the book hit me in an especially powerful way, and I've thought of it many times since.
As an author myself, I'm constantly picking apart a novel as I read it—I'm looking at the parts, figuring out how the thing's "wired," how it works. But this book swept me up and transported me. I was able to just let go and experience it.
SECOND HAND HEART got into my heart and resonated powerfully. This is a novel with a positive impact you'll continue to feel long after you've savored the final page.
There's just something about this book. In the first place, it was my introduction to the concept of cellular memory; I have to say that I'm fascinated by the idea that we don't just make memories with our minds but with our entire beings—leave it to Hyde to zero in on such a beautiful idea and build a book around it. But there are also so many poignant passages here...a tree / death analogy early on in the book hit me in an especially powerful way, and I've thought of it many times since.
As an author myself, I'm constantly picking apart a novel as I read it—I'm looking at the parts, figuring out how the thing's "wired," how it works. But this book swept me up and transported me. I was able to just let go and experience it.
SECOND HAND HEART got into my heart and resonated powerfully. This is a novel with a positive impact you'll continue to feel long after you've savored the final page.
Thanks for the rec. I'll go add it to the TBR must list.
ReplyDeleteYes! You'll love it...
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