Change of Heart Book

Before you read this book - although its story does explore an ethical dilemma and society's attitudes to this, you must not expect it to be set in a reality that is exactly the same as ours. By this I mean, some of the situations seem implausible and I know that this could spoil the book for some.

The story follows Shay Bourne, a man on death row for the murder of a 7 year old girl and her policeman stepfather. After discovering that his victim"s sister needs a heart transplant, Shay attempts to donate his heart to her.

The story is told through several narratives: June (the mother of the victim and heart transplant patient), Lucius (a fellow inmate), Michael (a priest), and a couple of other characters. This story links up with characters from another of Picoult's books 'Keeping Faith' as it explores spirituality and miracles.

There are many issues in this book that are thought provoking and will leave you asking yourself questions. Could you accept the heart of a killer to save your daughter"s life? Could you forgive someone who murdered your family for the sake of your own survival? Could you believe that miracles do happen and that they are being caused by a murderer on death row?

This book had me hooked from start to finish. I wouldn't say that this is one of Picoult"s best, but it definitely had me thinking and exploring some pretty sensitive issues. I can definitely say I wasn't gripped but did find it a very interesting read. I would argue that this isn't on par with My Sister's Keeper, which I would say was more socially relevant due to being more plausible.

Definitely worth a read!

Thought-provoking and impossible to put down novel from the UK's Number One bestselling women's fiction author: Your daughter needs a new heart. The only match comes from a murderer. What would you do? June's first husband was killed in a car crash.