A Matter of Heart

by Amy Fellner Dominy

Sixteen-year-old Abby Lipman is on track to win the state swim championships and qualify for the Olympic trials when a fainting incident at a swim meet leads to the diagnosis of a deadly heart condition. Now Abby is forced to discover who she is without the one thing that's defined her entire life.

• ISBN10: 0375991662
• ISBN13: 9780375991660
• Publish Date: 12 May 2015
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Imprint: Delacorte Press
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Abby was at the top of her game. She was setting new records in the pool, and mentally and physically prepared for the Olympic trails. Or, so she thought. After a physical exam revealed that Abby had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Abby's dreams moved further and further out of reach.

I love stories featuring elite athletes. Their drive and dedication is always so inspiring, but this story was different, because it dealt with an athlete having to come to terms with losing their dream. Abby had worked so hard inside and outside of the pool, reaching for an Olympic dream she shared with her father. My heart ached for her, when she was handed her HCM diagnosis. This was HUGE loss for her, and she began to spin out of control. She appeared to be going through the five stages of grief, and I thought her journey was quit believable, even if some of her behaviors were questionable.

Abby didn't only lose her dream, she lost herself. Swimming was so intertwined with who she was, and was a central part of her identity. Without swimming, Abby had no idea who she was supposed to be. For a decade, everything she did was to make herself a better swimmer. It was heartbreaking seeing someone so young so adrift.

I feel like I connected with this story on a different level too. When I was teaching, we lost a student during track practice to HCM. I had never taught the student, but his death was devastating to our community. It did prompt the district to offer EKGs, free of charge, as a part of the athletic physical, in order to help identify those with HCM.

This was a difficult journey for Abby, but she did eventually come to terms with her heart condition and her future without swimming. I would have liked a little bit more at the end, but she was definitely heading in the right direction.

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[bookishzelda]

I have to say that A Matter of Heart really impressed me. Amy Fellner Dominy takes a disease and really not only sheds light on it but how someone would deal with finding out they have it. I thought the book was really well written in that respect.

Abby is this powerhouse swimmer. She’s on her way to qualify for the Olympics when suddenly everything crashes around her. We really see Abby go through the stages of grief because this is what it’s really about. She is losing something she loves that is a huge piece of herself. She doesn’t know who she is without swimming. It even seeps into her relationship with her boyfriend. I have a chronic disease myself, not life threatening like Abby’s but I was diagnosed in college and I remember that moment when someone tells you that you will never be well again. That there are things you can no longer do. I thought Abby’s struggle was so well portrayed. It’s easy to say it’s only swimming and that her life is more important. To her that is her life. There are times that I felt angry at Abby for putting herself in the situations but I also felt so bad for her. We see her go through so much.

Her parents are also a really interesting aspect too. I felt frustrated at her dad at times because it felt like he was putting his dreams on Abby’s shoulders. She didn’t seem to see it that way but she was desperate to impress him. Make him proud. Her mother is really the one that steps up and wants what is best for Abby even if it makes her the bad guy.

The romance is really not the main focus but I really liked how we are introduced from the beginning to Connor being her boyfriend. He comes off as a jerk but he also has a couple sweet moments, when he’s able to describe things about Abby because he had been watching her before. I liked how it showed her HCM showing them what they really have between them. I also loved Alec, it was a good kind of love triangle. These are two very different guys and the things about Abby that are important to them are very different.

I liked Abby’s best friend Jen as well. Super supportive and concerned. That they could be fighting one minute and fine the next. A great betrayal of true friendship.

I really liked this book and I’m not that into swimming and I was sucked into those parts too. I love when a book teaches us something that we might not know. I’m aware of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy but I felt like A Matter of Heart really made me think about it. Like watching out for it in my own kids. This is a great read.