Kathy Chang Reviews: Change of Heart

Change of Heart
Change of Heart is a heartfelt novel written by Jodi Picoult. This narrative starts off with a mother, June Nealon meeting the main character, Shay Bourne, for the first time. He gets a job at her house and a chain of events happens. The story then switches to June crying over her dead husband and girl who is killed by Shay. With this said Shay is convicted of murder and sent to jail with high security. As the novel progresses, Shay is sentenced to death. With death hanging around him, Shay Bourne determines to give his heart to Claire Nealon, a dying girl and the sister and daughter of whom he killed. Although he has the good intention of donating his heart to Claire Nealon, conversations arise about his decision. Father Michael, his spiritual advisor, and Maggie Bloom, his lawyer, help Shay find a way to help him donate his organ.
Shay's determination to donate his organ and to fix his ruined past makes him believable. With firm determination in his voice he says," I don't know if she wants it, but she needs it"(Picoult, 158). By his tone of voice, Shay shows how he is responsible and protective by trying his best to save Claire from dying. While he is in jail, Father Michael goes to Shay's sister, Grace. Grace then tells Father Michael when she and Shay were little she set their house on fire. Because of the fire "Shay took the blame for [her]" "because he hadn't been able to save her before" (Picoult, 540). Shay is also believable because he needs support from a person. Even if he is in jail, he still wants to have somebody to talk to him and help him. When Father Michael goes to the jail to visit Shay, he is "pacing nervously in his cell" (Picoult, 224) about what he is going to say to the dead girl's mother, June. He's afraid he might mess up, so he tries to find someone to console him not to be nervous about the meeting with the mother.
After reading this novel, I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a story with truthfulness and mystery. This is a mystery novel because no one knows why Shay Bourne, the main character, kills the girl and husband until the end. I would also say that people who are religious or interested in religion would find this book breathtaking. Overall, this book was good because it explains how a person would try with all he has to cover his mistake. The plot of the narrative was also compelling because the story is set in different people's point of view. Although the storyline is complicated, Jodi Picoult, the author, makes the story easy to follow along.