Mend the Living
De Kerangal, MaylisIt may be the middle of the winter but Simon Limbeau and his friends relish their crazy early morning surfing session at Le Havre. But it is to be Simon's last - on their way home, there is an accident and Simon ceases to be the vibrant young man he was and will become a source of life to many others. In the 24 hours that follow, a complex operation swings into gear: from organ harvesting to donation, each careful detail, each heart-felt emotion, family and friends to nurses and doctors, and finally to Claire Mejan who will receive Simon's heart.
This is an unforgettable story of transformation that honours the players of life and death in this French drama, deftly capturing in its eloquent language the miracle they are involved in.
Pages
230
230
Year
2014
2014
Reviews
17-07-2023
Interesting topic - all of the group engaged in discussion. Some felt the language was too full of metaphors and similes - others loved the language and style of writing.
23-03-2023
Most found the book too wordy.
29-09-2021
An empathetic novel with both interesting and complex characters, which was much enjoyed by our group. Translation was described as florid and verbose by several members.
11-06-2021
Very good translation - use of words creative; conveyed emotional context well. Great topic for discussion.
04-11-2020
Some interesting discussion on organ donation, but most struggled to get into it. "Too wordy".
26-08-2020
The subject promoted a lot of discussion. Two people enjoyed the writing style with clever use of words. Several appreciated the challenge of the translation. More found it too wordy. We all thought it ended suddenly and too soon without enough coverage of the recipient's life after recovery.
11-05-2020
We had an email question and answer follow-up on the book. Some of us struggled with the lack of punctuation. Great story; how would any of us react Translation was amazing - she had LIVED that book.
20-03-2020
All but one member were highly complimentary about this book, particularly the vocabulary, language and empathy. The descriptions of all main participants and their expressed views were superb. For those with little knowledge of this area, the information was very helpful.
27-11-2019
Group found the topic difficult but the writing was excellent. Nothing was lost in the translation.
04-11-2019
Wonderful story. At times a little 'overly descriptive' and hard going but well worth persisting.
11-10-2019
An amazing book! Not easy to read as very verbose, but brought forth a very vigorous discussion regarding organ donation. Families and friends should talk about what they want to do in the event of their death - would they want to donate organs Not easy to deal with it when the family is grieving, much better to know what they would want to do before they die. Talk to your family!!