Phantom Heart

WOMEN'S FICTION/CHICK-LIT:  "Phantom Heart" was an emotional journey initially, through the stages of grief after Rachel lost her husband, Luke, suddenly in a tragic accident. Her ache was raw and all consuming. Once her pain began to subside, a stranger collapsing at her feet drew her back into the loss by giving her a glimmer of hope. Thrown into a medical phenomenon known as Cellular Memory, Rachel eventually believed she was getting her husband back, just in a different person. Disbelief shifts to relief, then to normalcy as her heart heals, and begins to hope once again for a future with Luke. Fate intervenes and her mystery man's former life comes back to claim him, leaving Rachel wondering if the man she loved was ever real or a phantom of her despair.

Ms. Bowman crafted a unique and powerful piece involving love, loss, and how to pick up the pieces of your life in the aftermath. Her main character struggled with coming out of her agonizing loss, choosing to exist in a fugue of sorrow rather than live again. As her story progresses, the reader begins to understand her fear of living or hoping for a happy ending. At times, the medical explanations tipped the balance between reality and science fiction - making the tale feel more clinical, confusing the reader. As Rachel is saddled with the recovery of her husband's organ donor, something unexpected occurred. As her new Luke healed physically, she healed emotionally allowing her to deal with the conclusion of her fantasy. This is an interesting tale.

Amy Willis