Book Review: Heart Sister by Michael F. Stewart

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The Details

Media Type: Ebook
Title: Heart Sister
Author: Michael F. Stewart
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pages/Length: Paperback; 366 pages
Release Date: Septemeber 22, 2020
Source: Xpresso Book Tours/Author

Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

After his twin sister, Minnie, dies in an accident, Emmitt’s world goes sideways. He’s lost his best friend and it feels like the family is falling apart without her. But Minnie was an organ donor and Emmitt soon receives an anonymous thank you letter from one of the transplant recipients. Inspiration strikes, and he decides to try and put his sister back together, in spirit. He’s going to track down each organ recipient and film them to show his parents the results of Minnie’s selfless act and help them move on. But when each recipient falls short of his expectations and the star of his film, the girl who received his sister’s heart, refuses to meet him, Emmitt has to turn to extreme measures to find her. What he doesn’t know is that his “heart sister” is hiding an agonizing secret, one that could push Emmitt to the breaking point.

The Review

Oh my heart. *sigh* There are stories that just break you emotionally, and then there is this story that slowly breaks you before piecing you back together. I realize that is what Emmett is trying to do in this story and I’m sure that is why it feels that way.

If you’re looking for a light read, this is not it. This is a profound story about grief, hope, love, and learning. Stewart does an excellent job balancing the seriousness of a broken family devastated by the loss of their daughter/sister with the funny macabre of taxidermy and literal clowns. It’s a rare talent to make me laugh and cry in the same page, but Stewart can.

Emmett struggles with how to move on after losing his twin. In his attempts to grieve her and help his mom with her depression he develops a plan to make a virtual reality video of Minnie with all the people’s lives she changed by being a donor. The anonymity of the organ donation foundation makes it a challenge but through a bit of luck and some extremely questionable research tactics, Emmett manages to find the recipients. In learning about their lives and struggles, he learns a lot about his own grief.

The portrayal of Emmett’s mother is heartbreaking and real. She is lost in her own grief and unable to process the loss of her child. The void in her eyes and her inability to function are prime motivators for Emmett’s attempt to put Minnie back together through her donors. Ultimately, the thing that brings the mother back to life is Emmett’s own grief spiral.

Each of the recipients have their own struggles and stories. In getting to know each of them, Emmett is challenged by his own ideas of who is deserving of saving and how Minnie would have reacted to a person struggling with their own mortality. Dennis was probably my favorite of the recipients as his renewed sense of living is a bright light to a somewhat dark story.

As cliche’ as it is, there is so much HEART in this story. Each character has a deeply personal story that is captured beautifully in their sometimes short interactions with Emmett. The way Minnie, and then Emmett, touched these peoples lives is a testament to how important organ donation can be to those who are ill. Emmett learns how the small act of registering to be a donor impacted the lives of all of these people and how very much that was exactly what Minnie would have wanted.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fantastically written story about grief and growth, and loves to laugh about taxidermy.

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