A Change of Heart

Starred review from August 1, 2016
Just as one heart leads to another—literally and metaphorically—in Dev’s seductive and complex story of love lost and then found, one layer of mystery leads to the next. Two years after Dr. Nikhil “Nic” Joshi was held a helpless witness to his wife Jen’s rape and murder in a Mumbai slum, he is literally and metaphorically at sea: he’s awash in Jack Daniels and afloat on a luxury ocean liner as the ship’s physician. Both the whiskey and the travel help him escape from the horrific nightmares that mock his loving memories of his wife. As if to further defile his tortured heart, he starts to see fleeting glimpses of Jen. It’s not a ghost but a woman, Jess, the recipient of Jen’s transplanted heart. Jess is on a mission—driven by her new heart—to bring those responsible for Jen’s death to justice, and she needs Nic’s help. Dev follows them through Chicago, Mumbai, and the Caribbean as they work to bust a black market organ-transplant gang, and soon their hearts entwine. Dev moves so expertly through the subtle layers of the tender love story that Nic and Jess—and even Jen—will hold a permanent place in readers’ hearts. Agent: Claudia Cross, Folio Literary Management.

Soneela Nankani narrates this dark and tortured romance with the perfect balance of compassion and anger. Dr. Nikhil Joshi's life hit rock bottom after the death of his wife, Jen, two years ago. He's barely staying afloat as a doctor on a cruise ship when he meets Jess, a mysterious young woman who says she received Jen's heart in a transplant. Jess has her own demons to battle and cannot afford any distractions from her mission. This latest book by Sonali Dev is a departure from her previous titles, and Nankani does an excellent job capturing its despair and anguish as well as the cautious joy and hope felt by both Nikhil and Jess. Overall, Nankani delivers a compelling narration. K.M.P. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine