Searching for David's Heart

Cherie Bennet’s Searching for David’s Heart sincerely touched me and brought tears to my eyes. The book told a tale I will never forget.

The theme of this book was about learning to live with grief. Darcy Deeton was consumed with sadness over the loss of her brother and let it overpower her. Though she knew that her brother David would want her to be happy, she could not allow herself to be happy because of the guilt she felt for his death. Another theme of the book was putting aside differences. Darcy was greatly influenced by her dad’s racism and, for a little while, let that bias get in the way of her kindness.

I could really relate to Darcy and how she felt. Knowing what it is like to lose someone close, I understood her feelings of loneliness and abandonment. Darcy struggled through daily routine, never straying from her beaten path because of fear. Fear of forgetting David, fear of being happy when he was dead, and fear of her conscience. Darcy was frantic for any piece of David she could have, so she set out on a reckless hunt with her friend Sam for the one thing that remained of David in the world: his heart. David was an organ donor and Darcy knew that someone somewhere had received his precious heart. With greater hope than she had seen in the previous months, she began her journey.

I loved the author’s style. Cherie Bennet is one of my favorite authors. Her books are timeless, capture hearts, and always have a great lesson to be learned. Sometimes I wonder if she creates her stories from experience, from hearing a story of someone else, or if she simply makes them up. Whatever she does, she has a knack for really making her story stick with a person. Bennet is not generally a very challenging author to read. Her stories are simple and easy to read, but she has a way of making her small stories very big.

This book reminded me of another book I recently read. Elizabeth Chandler’s Kissed by an Angel was similar to the story of Searching for David’s Heart. Though Ivy in Kissed by an Angel was mourning her boyfriend, she was always searching for some small comfort or hope that she could grasp and cling on to, a lot like Darcy’s reaction in Searching for David’s Heart.

Though I am sure girls would enjoy the book more, I would recommend this book for anyone. The book has potential to help people through tough times, to relate to them, and possibly even to help them start overcoming their grief.