Liz is happily married, with two children. She has her life down to a routine, and on this particular day, her routine includes running errands. Construction work has been taking place in their neighborhood, and her vision is blocked as she pulls out into traffic. Unable to stop when she sees a large truck, she is in a terrible collision and dies.Kate is an eleven-year-old girl who has barely had a chance to live. Stricken with a horrible illness six years before, her chances of survival are slim, unless someone can perform a miracle. Perhaps Dr. Jamison will be that man.
When Liz is brought into the hospital and pronounced dead, the hospital staff notes that she has agreed to organ donation. It’s a huge risk, something that has never been done before, but Dr. Jamison performs a brain transplant, taking Liz’s brain and giving it to Kate. What he never dreamed was that Liz’s memories would remain intact, and she would wake up a grown woman inside a child’s body.
“Becoming Kate” by first-time author Dixie Owens follows Liz on her journey through denial, terror, bargaining, and then finally accepting as she comes to understand that she’s been given a second chance, and she should take it to the fullest.
This novel is a mixture of “The Host” and a Robin Cook novel, although the tension in “Becoming Kate” isn’t as high. I could also describe it as “sci-fi meets family drama.” I found the cover to be misleading, as it depicts brightly colored balloons rising into the sky. While there are balloons in the book, it’s not a brightly colored story, and the two didn’t mesh well for me. However, aside from some editing gaffes, I found the story compelling, the characters believable, and the conclusion satisfying. This book will stay with you long after you turn the last page, making you ask the question, “What makes a person truly alive, and to what extend should science interfere in the process?”
"Becoming Kate" was published in 2010 by Bonneville Books.
I received this book free of charge in exchange for the review, and my opinion was not based on the receipt of this gift.
2 comments:
I just finished it. I wasn't a fan of the multiple POVs, but it does leave you thinking about what truly makes you, you? And, does the spirit live in the brain, the heart, or a mixture of both? Intriguing concept.
I was also satisifed with the ending.
That sounds fascinating! I'm going to mark it on my to-read list!
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