Title: Tiny Pieces of Us
Author: Nicky Pellegrino
Published: June 30th 2020
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Pages: 320
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
RRP: $29.99
Rating: 4 stars
My heart is less than one per cent of my body, it weighs hardly anything; it’s only a tiny piece of me, yet it’s the part everyone finds most interesting. . .
Vivi Palmer knows what it’s like to live life carefully. Born with a heart defect, she was given a second chance after a transplant, but has never quite dared to make the most of it. Until she comes face-to-face with her donor’s mother, Grace, who wants something in return for Vivi’s new heart: her help to find all the other people who have tiny pieces of her son.
Reluctantly drawn into Grace’s mission, Vivi’s journalist training takes over as one by one she tracks down a small group of strangers. As their lives intertwine Vivi finds herself with a new kind of family, and by finding out more about all the pieces that make up the many parts of her, Vivi might just discover a whole new world waiting for her…
Review:
‘My heart is less than one percent of my body; it is only a tiny piece of me.’
Bestselling author Nicky Pellegrino returns with a new novel full of heart, emotion, connections and soul searching. Tiny Pieces of Us offers a considerate look at organ donation, organ recipients and second chances in life. Nicky Pellegrino’s new novel offers a thoughtful, comprehensive and well-rounded fictional representation of a sensitive subject.
Tiny Pieces of Us brings the remarkable story of organ recipient Vivi Palmer. Vivi has always lived with the fear of her life being cut short due to heart defect she was born with. However, an opportunity to extend her life due to the help of a heart transplant means that Vivi is offered an essential lifeline. But we learn that Vivi has been afraid to live her life since the transplant. A fateful encounter with her heart donor’s mother changes everything for Vivi. Together, this mother and the recipient of her son’s heart complete a journey to track down all of the recipients of Jamie’s organs. It is sojourn that brings tears, laughter, connection, friendship, acceptance and appreciation. For Vivi, life is now to be valued and enjoyed, thanks to this meaningful mission.
Nicky Pellegrino, a British born author who calls New Zealand home is probably best known for her wonderful fictional holiday reads featuring food and love, all set to a picturesque Italian backdrop. The one and only book I have read by Nicky Pellegrino is One Summer in Venice. I recall being drawn to the stunning cover of this one and I really did enjoy taking an armchair trip to Italy. This time around, Nicky Pellegrino has set her novel in London, with some movement to Italy in smaller sequences of Tiny Pieces of Us.
Tiny Pieces of Us features quite a tearjerker opener. We are soon thrust into the emotion, chaos, confusion and the heartbreaking decisions involved in organ donation. Pellegrino’s approach is sensitive, insightful, comprehensive and balanced. The author also manages to balance quite an emotive subject matter with a clear head, without injecting too much sentiment into this difficult topic. As someone who has been directly involved in organ donation from a recipient point of view (my father in law received a heart transplant) I was appreciative of the path Pellegrino decided to take with this novel. I think for those who are not aware of the ins and outs of organ donation, along with the recipient side of things, Tiny Pieces of Us is both educative and accessible.
Pellegrino utilises the character of Vivi Palmer, an organ recipient, as her central character concern. This is followed by Grace, the mother of the teenager who passed away and gave the gift of life to a number of people. We follow a first person style of narration with Vivi , which I connected to very easily. I was also able to direct my sympathies towards Grace, a grieving mother, who makes a decision that continues to haunt her for some time. We also see the world from the eyes of a handful of other organ recipients connected to Grace’s son. This ensures that the book is objective, well rounded and interesting. It also provides some great connections and character dynamics. I appreciated Pellegrino’s approach to this aspect of her new novel.
It would be easy to come across as preachy when dealing with such a delicate topic as organ donation. I do think this is the case with Tiny Pieces of Us. Sometimes I had to question the characters and their preoccupations in this novel. At times the cast did frustrate me. However, Pellegrino manages to cover all bases in regards to this tender topic. Hopefully the author will raise some much needed awareness around the whole concept of organ donation and the impact of this life saving gesture on recipients, as well as their loved ones. Tiny Pieces of Us is a well advised, topical, hopeful and connective piece of fiction.
Tiny Pieces of Us by Nicky Pellegrino is published by Hachette Australia on June 30th 2020. $29.99.
https://www.hachette.com.au/nicky-pellegrino/tiny-pieces-of-us
To learn more about the author of Tiny Pieces of Us, Nicky Pellegrino visit here.
*Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
