Review: Pieces by Chris Lynch

Title: Pieces
Author: Chris Lynch
Year Published: 2013

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 192

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Location (my 2014 Google Reading map): USA (MA)

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school's library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): When Eric's brother Duane dies, his world breaks in two. Duane was his best friend--possibly his only friend. And Eric isn't sure how to live in a world without Duane in it. Desperate to find a piece of his brother to hold on to, Eric decides to meet some of the people who received Duane's organs. He expects to meet perfect strangers. Instead he encounters people who become more than friends and almost like family--people who begin to help Eric put the pieces of his life back together for good. 

Review: I have a donor dot on my driver's license. I like the idea that other people could be helped by my body parts. That sounds so sick and boy do I hope no one gets my "pieces" for a very long time! I had high hopes for this book, what a great concept: someone meeting the people that got a loved one's organs? That's heavy stuff.

I liked the character of Eric. He is a lost soul who is having trouble finding his way now that his brother has died. He reaches out to these organ recipients hoping to find answers. He seemed real in his need for a connection, which I could understand. The crew of organ recipients that he meets are interesting and varied, but if felt a bit like they entered his life too easily. Perhaps they needed connection, too.

While I liked the concept, I feel like the book didn't go far enough. Eric befriends these people, their lives become intertwined and then it just ended. It felt like it needed another couple of chapters to wrap it up. At only 192 pages, there could have been more.