A Heart in the Body of the World

A Heart in the Body of the World
Deb Caletti
Simon & Schuster, 2018 355 pages
Grades 9-Up
Realistic Fiction

Our story begins with high school senior Annabelle having a panic attack at a fast food restaurant and running until she can calm down. This inspires her to go on a cross-country run in order to process a traumatic incident in the past from which she is trying to heal. Mom is against the trip, but Grandpa is supportive, even traveling with Annabelle in his RV. Brother Malcolm and some high school friends help raise money and awareness of the journey, bringing Annabelle and the cause she is running for to the public eye. What follows next is alternating time periods recounting Annabelle's current journey cross-country and the past, slowly revealing the incident that has left her so broken. The full cause of the tragedy is not disclosed to the reader until the end of the book and readers will finally have the full story as Annabelle slowly starts to heal.

This 2019 Printz honor book is not what I expected. The books I have previously read by this author have been good-yet a little frothy. This title is heavy and meaningful. The writing is exquisite and the reader will be brought emotionally along Annabelle's journey. I cried in a couple of different places and even had to put the book down for a bit, finding it too powerful to read. I love that Caletti does not reveal the actual incident setting Annabelle on her course until the end and for most of the book I thought it was something different. Through the pages we see a character go from innocent to broken to full maturity. Annabelle has been changed by what she has gone through, yet the reader is assured that she is stronger, whole, and will be okay and make a difference in the world. Several timely hot-button issues are explored in this book and many young people will gain understanding in handling unsafe social situations from reading it. Other weighty topics include handling misplaced guilt, broken families, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Not an easy read emotionally and not for everyone, but certainly a valuable addition to the teen library and time well spent.