Status
Available
Genres
Publication
FOLIO (2015), 304 pages
Description
"Just before dawn on a Sunday morning, three teenage boys go surfing. Returning home, exhausted, the driver lets the car drift off the road into a tree. Two of the boys are wearing seat belts; one is sent through the windshield. He is declared brain-dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. His heart is still beating. The Heart takes place over the twenty-four hours surrounding a fatal accident and a resulting heart transplant as life is taken from a young man and given to a woman close to death. In gorgeous, ruminative prose it examines the deepest feelings of everyone involved--grieving parents, hardworking doctors and nurses--as they navigate decisions of life and death. As stylistically audacious as it is emotionally explosive, Maylis de Kerangal's The Heart has mesmerized readers in France, where it has been hailed as the breakthrough work of a new literary star"-- "An audacious novel about the 24 hours surrounding a heart transplant"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
This is the story of a heart transplant. It opens with a pre-dawn teenage surfing outing. A few hours later one of the teenagers is brain dead after a tragic car accident. The novel then proceeds to recount the next 24 hours as, first, a transplant coordinator works with the boy's parents to
A excellent novel, worthy of the acclaim it has won in France.
4 stars
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facilitate a decision regarding potential organ transplant, moving to the determination of potential recipients for various organs, to the surgeries removing organs and ending with the surgery transplanting the heart. The story is told from multiple points of view: the donor's, the parents, the teenager's girlfriend, the coordinator, nurses, surgeons, the recipients. While there is a lot of information here about the process, this is not a clinical summary, but rather a novel focusing on the emotions and feelings of the various participants, as well as the various philosophical issues involved at each step of the organ transplant process.A excellent novel, worthy of the acclaim it has won in France.
4 stars
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LibraryThing member ozzer
The protagonist of Maylis de Kerangal’s remarkable novel is not a person at all, but is the heart of Simon Limbres. Simon suffers irreversible brain damage in an auto accident while returning from an early morning surfing excursion with two friends. With exquisite attention to detail and
The intent of the novel is to show how the miracle of heart transplantation occurs today. But the wonder of this novel is how de Kerangal achieves that aim while also taking the reader close to all of the people involved. We learn how a family copes with the strange reality of seeing a loved one appearing to be quietly asleep, while knowing that “death” has already occurred. Simon’s parents are forced to struggle with his death while also being asked to consider donating his organs. Marianne and Sean Limbres are portrayed realistically as they pass through the inevitable stages of coping with the death of a much-loved son. Simon’s girlfriend (Juliette) and little sister (Lou) also are presented, but more superficially.
De Kerangal depicts the health care workers whose task it is to successfully achieve the transplant not only as caring and highly competent professionals, but also as real people with personal quirks and interests outside their jobs.
Pierre Revol, the ICU doctor struggles with how to tell Simon’s parents that their son is brain dead and will never recover. It is clear that he has done this before, but still is not very good at it.
Cordelia Owl is the ICU nurse who does her job despite being hung over and continuously waiting for a call from the guy she was with the previous night.
Thomas Remige is the most appealing character in the book. He has the unenviable task of convincing Simon’s parents to donate his organs. De Kerangal shows Thomas as a sensitive and honest man, who loves goldfinches, is willing to carry out the families request to remind Simon that he is much loved and to play the sounds of surf through ear buds just before his organs are taken. Thomas also restores the body following the removal as promised.
Marthe Carrare is a 60 year-old overweight woman struggling with a smoking addiction whose task is to allocate Simon’s organs to the best possible recipients.
Emmanuel Harfang, the transplant surgeon, comes from a long line of surgeons. He is a workaholic and narcissistic, but extremely competent. He is much admired by his residents, who he happily overworks and then takes on long bike rides during their down time, much to the dismay of their wives.
Virgilio Breva is an egotistical misogynist and soccer fanatic. Notwithstanding these flaws, he is portrayed as an extremely skilled surgeon who orchestrates the multiple organ removal procedures and transports Simon’s heart to Paris for transplantation.
Claire Mejan is in her fifties and is failing due to myocarditis. She is forced to live alone in a crummy apartment near the hospital. Her whole existence revolves around waiting for an appropriate heart to replace hers. Her family visits, but she has an intense desire to return to her country home and life as a translator.
The novel is set in Northern France and occurs over one day. De Kerangal masterfully depicts just how complicated and time dependent these procedures are while maintaining a high degree of tension. The scenes depicting the multiple organ removals and heart transplant are particularly well done.
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character development, de Kerangal tracks the events following that tragic accident. Throughout, she manages to maintain a high degree of dramatic tension while also achieving a cinematic documentary narrative style.The intent of the novel is to show how the miracle of heart transplantation occurs today. But the wonder of this novel is how de Kerangal achieves that aim while also taking the reader close to all of the people involved. We learn how a family copes with the strange reality of seeing a loved one appearing to be quietly asleep, while knowing that “death” has already occurred. Simon’s parents are forced to struggle with his death while also being asked to consider donating his organs. Marianne and Sean Limbres are portrayed realistically as they pass through the inevitable stages of coping with the death of a much-loved son. Simon’s girlfriend (Juliette) and little sister (Lou) also are presented, but more superficially.
De Kerangal depicts the health care workers whose task it is to successfully achieve the transplant not only as caring and highly competent professionals, but also as real people with personal quirks and interests outside their jobs.
Pierre Revol, the ICU doctor struggles with how to tell Simon’s parents that their son is brain dead and will never recover. It is clear that he has done this before, but still is not very good at it.
Cordelia Owl is the ICU nurse who does her job despite being hung over and continuously waiting for a call from the guy she was with the previous night.
Thomas Remige is the most appealing character in the book. He has the unenviable task of convincing Simon’s parents to donate his organs. De Kerangal shows Thomas as a sensitive and honest man, who loves goldfinches, is willing to carry out the families request to remind Simon that he is much loved and to play the sounds of surf through ear buds just before his organs are taken. Thomas also restores the body following the removal as promised.
Marthe Carrare is a 60 year-old overweight woman struggling with a smoking addiction whose task is to allocate Simon’s organs to the best possible recipients.
Emmanuel Harfang, the transplant surgeon, comes from a long line of surgeons. He is a workaholic and narcissistic, but extremely competent. He is much admired by his residents, who he happily overworks and then takes on long bike rides during their down time, much to the dismay of their wives.
Virgilio Breva is an egotistical misogynist and soccer fanatic. Notwithstanding these flaws, he is portrayed as an extremely skilled surgeon who orchestrates the multiple organ removal procedures and transports Simon’s heart to Paris for transplantation.
Claire Mejan is in her fifties and is failing due to myocarditis. She is forced to live alone in a crummy apartment near the hospital. Her whole existence revolves around waiting for an appropriate heart to replace hers. Her family visits, but she has an intense desire to return to her country home and life as a translator.
The novel is set in Northern France and occurs over one day. De Kerangal masterfully depicts just how complicated and time dependent these procedures are while maintaining a high degree of tension. The scenes depicting the multiple organ removals and heart transplant are particularly well done.
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LibraryThing member seeword
This amazing novel follows a multiple organ transplant procedure including the ethical considerations, medical decisions, bureaucratic necessities, and emotional impact on all concerned. The technical aspects never overwhelm the human nature of what is happening.
(note: this the American
(note: this the American
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translation; the UK/Canadian translation by Jessica Moore is titled Mend the Living and is on the 2016 Man Booker International Prize longlist. French title: Réparer les vivants) Show Less
LibraryThing member SignoraEdie
Amazing, beautifully written story that reads more like non-fiction. A celebration of the life!
LibraryThing member abycats
The original French thought process comes thru into the English translation loud and clear. This is about what happens after a young man dies who has high quality organs for donation. It spends quite a bit of time with the emotional impact on his family, the surgeons' thoughts, and a few of the
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intended recipients. Written in a flowery style but has something new to offer. Show Less
LibraryThing member shelleyraec
I selected this novel for the Read Around the World Challenge, The Heart is the work of French author Maylis de Kerangel translated into English by Sam Taylor.
Three young men are on their way home from an early morning surf when they are involved in a devastating accident. Simon Limbres is thrown
Set over the next 24 hours, The Heart illuminates Simon’s journey between life and death. As Simon’s parents, Marianne and Sean, try to come to grips with their nightmarish reality, we are given a window into the lives of those with whom he intersects, from that of the Coordinating Committee for Organ and Tissue Removal who must broach the delicate subject of donation, to Claire, who is waiting for a miracle.
Kerangal’s writing is at times quite exquisite, however I often struggled with the style of prose. With page long sentences, a complete lack of speech marks, and sometimes an odd rhythm, I thought that the translation may have played a part, but I’m assured that it is faithful to the original (Sam Taylor won an award for it).
I believe strongly in the value of organ donation. I’m a registered donor and actively encourage family and friends to be also, so I feel that The Heart bears an important message.
“Simon’s heart was migrating to one part of the country, his kidneys, liver, and lungs entering other regions, rushing toward other bodies. What would remain, in this fragmentation, of the unity of her son? How could she attach her singular memory to that diffracted body? What will become of his presence, of his reflection on earth, of his ghost? These questions circle her like fiery hoops, and then Simon’s face forms before her eyes, intact and unique. He is irreducible; he is Simon. She feels a deep sense of calm.”
For the literary high-minded, The Heart will likely draw praise, but I’m afraid for most of us, myself included, the authors stylistic quirks will be too off-putting to truly appreciate it.
Three young men are on their way home from an early morning surf when they are involved in a devastating accident. Simon Limbres is thrown
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through the windscreen, and is declared brain dead, though his heart is still beating. Set over the next 24 hours, The Heart illuminates Simon’s journey between life and death. As Simon’s parents, Marianne and Sean, try to come to grips with their nightmarish reality, we are given a window into the lives of those with whom he intersects, from that of the Coordinating Committee for Organ and Tissue Removal who must broach the delicate subject of donation, to Claire, who is waiting for a miracle.
Kerangal’s writing is at times quite exquisite, however I often struggled with the style of prose. With page long sentences, a complete lack of speech marks, and sometimes an odd rhythm, I thought that the translation may have played a part, but I’m assured that it is faithful to the original (Sam Taylor won an award for it).
I believe strongly in the value of organ donation. I’m a registered donor and actively encourage family and friends to be also, so I feel that The Heart bears an important message.
“Simon’s heart was migrating to one part of the country, his kidneys, liver, and lungs entering other regions, rushing toward other bodies. What would remain, in this fragmentation, of the unity of her son? How could she attach her singular memory to that diffracted body? What will become of his presence, of his reflection on earth, of his ghost? These questions circle her like fiery hoops, and then Simon’s face forms before her eyes, intact and unique. He is irreducible; he is Simon. She feels a deep sense of calm.”
For the literary high-minded, The Heart will likely draw praise, but I’m afraid for most of us, myself included, the authors stylistic quirks will be too off-putting to truly appreciate it.
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LibraryThing member librarygeek33
Books with very detailed, rambling descriptions just don't appeal to me. A short book about one day in the life of one heart. I did learn some things about organ donation, specifically in France, and some of the details involved in the process.
LibraryThing member PDCRead
Simon Limbeau is in search of that perfect wave. He knows it is out there, and perhaps this will be the day that he finds it, the forecast seems to indicate that it will be good. Rising just before 6 am, he ventures into the freezing morning to climb in the van with his friends to hit the beach. It
Simon was not wearing a seatbelt and as Chris dropped off to sleep, the van drifted to the left until it hit the pole. All three lads were rushed to hospital following the accident and parents were contacted. Marianne, Simon’s mum, gets to the hospital. Looking shell shocked, she is ushered into a meeting with the doctor. Simon’s condition is serious, very serious indeed.
So begins the sensitive telling of a story that is a parent’s worst dilemma. It is a short book, often captivating, always emotional, but occasionally dips a little to heavily into technical jargon. However, De Kerangal’s sparse prose is what carries this story, making what is an intensely charged read, a thing of beauty still. It is a sad, touching story, sensitively told.
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is a journey Simon has undertaken hundreds of times. Waves were found, ridden and conquered and they pile back in the van trying to warm up. Chris turns the key in the van and begins the return journey; all their lives were just about to change for ever. Simon was not wearing a seatbelt and as Chris dropped off to sleep, the van drifted to the left until it hit the pole. All three lads were rushed to hospital following the accident and parents were contacted. Marianne, Simon’s mum, gets to the hospital. Looking shell shocked, she is ushered into a meeting with the doctor. Simon’s condition is serious, very serious indeed.
So begins the sensitive telling of a story that is a parent’s worst dilemma. It is a short book, often captivating, always emotional, but occasionally dips a little to heavily into technical jargon. However, De Kerangal’s sparse prose is what carries this story, making what is an intensely charged read, a thing of beauty still. It is a sad, touching story, sensitively told.
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LibraryThing member kjuliff
Keep on Searching
Media:Audio
Read by Steven Jay Cohen
Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
I bought this book after reading Eastbound. I’d been so overwhelmed by that novella that I needed more of de Kerangal than the two hours that Eastbound had given me.
Unfortunately I could not finish The Heart. The six
A young boy, a surfer dies in a car accident. His young healthy heart is made available for a transplant. Everyone involved is a subject of de Kerangal’s attention. The surgeons, the hospital and care workers, the relatives of the donor and the donee all play a part in this perfectly chronicled choreographed feat of modern medicine. Every detail of the participants’ lives in the twenty for hours is described, accurately and efficiently. From the cup of coffee the head nurse drinks, from the assistant hospital orderly’s intake of her cigarette, to the donor’s mother’s inner feelings come to the reader as if we are in the room with the participants.
Despite my enthusiasm at finding a new writer to follow, I had a problem with The Heart. The poetic language seemed at odds with the subject matter. The symbolism and softness of the beating heart didn’t sit well in the stark sterility of the operating theater. Feeling and technology didn’t mix. For me at least.
I suppose I was expecting something along the lines of Eastbound - short and softly emotional. The Heart is a novel three times longer than the novella. What worked on a train trip didn’t work for me in a hospital setting.
Still I look forward to reading more of this writer’s work. It is just that Eastbound set such a high bar, and maybe my heart wasn’t in this one.
Media:Audio
Read by Steven Jay Cohen
Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
I bought this book after reading Eastbound. I’d been so overwhelmed by that novella that I needed more of de Kerangal than the two hours that Eastbound had given me.
Unfortunately I could not finish The Heart. The six
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hours about the day in the life of a heart transplant was beyond me. Yes the writing is mesmerizing and the detail finessed. Yet somehow it wasn’t enough. But it wasn’t so bad that it doesn’t deserve a mention, and I’m sure others will like it more than I could.A young boy, a surfer dies in a car accident. His young healthy heart is made available for a transplant. Everyone involved is a subject of de Kerangal’s attention. The surgeons, the hospital and care workers, the relatives of the donor and the donee all play a part in this perfectly chronicled choreographed feat of modern medicine. Every detail of the participants’ lives in the twenty for hours is described, accurately and efficiently. From the cup of coffee the head nurse drinks, from the assistant hospital orderly’s intake of her cigarette, to the donor’s mother’s inner feelings come to the reader as if we are in the room with the participants.
Despite my enthusiasm at finding a new writer to follow, I had a problem with The Heart. The poetic language seemed at odds with the subject matter. The symbolism and softness of the beating heart didn’t sit well in the stark sterility of the operating theater. Feeling and technology didn’t mix. For me at least.
I suppose I was expecting something along the lines of Eastbound - short and softly emotional. The Heart is a novel three times longer than the novella. What worked on a train trip didn’t work for me in a hospital setting.
Still I look forward to reading more of this writer’s work. It is just that Eastbound set such a high bar, and maybe my heart wasn’t in this one.
Show Less
Awards
Wellcome Trust Book Prize (Winner — 2017)
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for a Translation (Winner — 2016)
Albertine Prize (Shortlist — 2017)
French-American Foundation Translation Prize (Winner — 2017)
Language
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
304 p.; 7.09 inches
ISBN
2070462366 / 9782070462360