Becoming Kate by Dixie Owens

Back Cover:

Elizabeth Lindsay, wife and mother of two, is in an auto accident. She awakens in a hospital with strangers calling her Kate. She learns that she perished in the accident and is the donor for the first successful brain transplant. Her mind and memories now reside in the body of eleven-year old Kate. She's not supposed to have a personal memory, but ... Elizabeth is faced with an overwhelming situation. How does she resolve her death and rebirth? How does she stop being Liz and start becoming Kate? It s a story about love and letting go, of redemption and second chances.

Cedar Fort sent me a review copy of Becoming Kate by Dixie Owens. The premise is very intriguing. It opens up some thought-provoking questions. Is the spirit, or soul, of someone in their mind or in their heart? Both? Are we, as a society, playing God when we do organ transplants? Is there a difference between a heart or liver transplant and a brain transplant? What would it be like to be "transferred" from one body to another?

I enjoyed this book, I'm not a big fan of multiple point-of-view characters and this one has several. I felt like it was trying to cover too many storylines at once and it would've felt more intimate if the author had chosen to stay in one or two points of view. I felt like the storyline with the brother wasn't fully developed and his relationship with his girlfriend felt forced. I cried at the end, but I did feel it was rushed.

However, I thought Owens weaved an interesting story and developed the main characters. I could really feel for Liz/Kate as well as for Marcy and the positions they were in. I really liked Liz/Kate. I think she has a great use of  language and I enjoyed the images she created with her word painting. I liked her original metaphors and similes. She has an easy-to-read writing style.

I recommend this book. It made me think about things. I don't think I'd want to be transferred to another body through a brain transplant because I'd want my family, not someone else's What makes my life beautiful is my family and mortality wouldn't hold its appeal for me without them.

Even though, CFI sent me this copy, it in no way influenced my review.