A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti
In A Heart in a Body in the World (Simon Pulse), Deb Caletti has written a gripping story for the young adult market, but it’s a novel everyone should take the time to read. The extremely timely novel, which was just released this month, follows Annabelle, a troubled teenager, who struggles with the notion that women are responsible for every bad thing that happens to them. Caletti does an excellent job getting inside the head of the protagonist who believes she is responsible for a boy’s actions, even though she did nothing wrong.
The reader is first introduced to Annabelle as she sits in a parking lot of a local fast-food joint called Dick’s. After a stranger inappropriately touches her in the restaurant, memories of a trauma caused by a boy from school rush back to her. Flashbacks from therapy sessions show that Annabelle has tried to face her trauma head on, though the incident at Dick’s brings back similar feelings that she has tried to forget for nearly a year. As the story continues, the reader learns that the tragedy led to the deaths of people close to her.
This dilemma sets up the crux of the story, in which Annabelle, an extraordinary high school athlete, chooses to run — but not just run. She intends to run 2,700 miles from Seattle to Washington D.C. in an attempt to outrun memories of the incident that has left her haunted.
It’s at first unclear why Annabelle chooses DC as her destination, though she regularly mentions a man by the name of Seth Greggory. While the readers don’t learn why Greggory is so important to Annabelle until she makes it to DC, it can be inferred that he can help her overcome–or at least face–her trauma.
Similar to the rationale behind her journey to DC, the details of Annabelle’s trauma are not fully revealed until the end of the novel. Following a tragedy that heavily impacts the lives of everyone around her, Annabelle struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as she faces the guilt left from the crime she had no control over. The story peels back layers of Annabelle’s guilt and experience before fully explaining what the crime entailed about three-fourths of the way into the novel.
Annabelle is joined by her Italian immigrant grandfather Ed as he supports her run across the country in an RV, which acts as a home to the two when Annabelle is not running. While Annabelle’s mother, Gina, is resistant about her daughter’s journey, her younger brother Malcolm and friends Zach and Olivia act as a solid support system until Gina eventually comes to terms with the idea.
Many flashbacks depict her close relationships with her best friend Kat and her boyfriend Will. Annabelle refers to the criminal in the novel as The Taker, who regularly haunts her in her day-to-day life. While she doesn’t share his name until the final chapter, glimpses into their relationship foreshadow the tragedy that turns her world upside down.
As Annabelle details her relationship with the criminal, the reader sees that The Taker regularly pushes Annabelle out of her comfort zone and he ultimately harasses her for not sharing his romantic feelings.
The revelation of the novel’s heartbreaking crime pushes readers to acknowledge a pattern of how common gun-based crimes have become.
The author also deserves a round of applause for writing secondary characters that do not appear much in the novel but are easily understood by the reader. While Annabelle’s friends and brother may not interact with Annabelle in person regularly during her journey across the country, her brother Malcolm is clearly viewed as her best friend even though they have a relationship that consists of teasing and name calling.
It’s rare to come across a book that is likely relatable to all women. So many women, regardless of their age, have had to deal with some form of harassment based on their gender. Annabelle comes to terms with this idea in the novel, but the targeted teenager reader will also hopefully learn that the incidents they’ve experienced — whether they have been verbal or physical — do not polarize them and do not have to define them either.
Annabelle grieves following an unimaginable tragedy, though current events will reveal that her tragedy isn’t rare. While she struggles to come to terms with her past, Annabelle also fights to see change, which is a lesson that everyone can learn from.
A Heart in a Body in the World is now available to purchase.
