No living human knows what happens when we die. We can only imagine what happens when our souls leave our body.
In the 2014 novel, Pieces of Me by Amber Kizer, Jessica’s one vanity is her long blonde hair. Known in her high school for being weird, her hair is cut in a brutal and unexpected manner. After she is killed in a car accident, her body parts are donated to four other teenagers. Through the organs her family has donated, Jessica is given an insight into the other kids who have received the parts of her former physical form.
Samuel has had health issues his entire life. Turning to religion and prayer, he hopes to find solace in the higher power. Vivian loves to paint, she sees the world through color. She is also battling cystic fibrosis. Leif’s parents are famous athletes who expect their son to follow in their footsteps. An accident on the football field changes his perspective on everything. Misty is juggling a new liver that she is unsure about and family/economic problems. There is a question of immigration status, which only adds to what is already on her plate.
I wanted to like this book. I was drawn in by the narrative and the potential of weaving the individual threads into the larger story. The problem is that there were moments that in jumping from character to character, I got a little lost. The ending was also not as satisfying as I hoped it would be.
Do I recommend it? Maybe.
