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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Jacque Gorelick’s Map of a Heart begins on the Crystal Springs Trail in February 2007, where a planned family outing with her husband, Ed, and their newborn son, Elliot, turns into a fight to keep Ed alive. What starts with an armoire errand and a stroller walk changes when Ed collapses after a run. Gorelick calls 911 with Elliot beside her, then follows the ambulance to a hospital where every update can alter their future. As Ed lies in the ICU, Gorelick writes to him from the edge of a life she has only just begun to trust. Her mother’s death from cancer returns to the surface, bringing with it the family ache she carried into adulthood. The old breakup with Ed reappears too, now measured against the fragile wonder of new motherhood.
Jacque Gorelick’s Map of a Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Finding the Way Home is a gorgeous memoir. Gorelick writes with a raw honesty, and it is equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking. Gorelick is clearly a pillar of strength, and it comes to life when fear morphs into just being practical. She learns the ICD will place a defibrillator inside Ed’s chest and immediately tests that fact against the ordinary life waiting outside the hospital. Gorelick gives praise where it is due. For example, Steve, the firefighter who takes over CPR on the trail, is not at all treated as a passing stranger; he becomes part of the family story long after the ambulance leaves. I see this book doing very well with readers who want to follow a family after a medical crisis. Recommended.
