Book Review: 'The Anatomical Shape of a Heart' by Jenn Bennett

Contemporary YA books like this one that usually follow the same baseline premise (girl and a guy, girl falls for guy, guy falls for girl, yadda yadda) are usually a hit or miss. Well, let me tell you, The Anatomical Shape of a Heart is definitely a hit. At least it was for me.

There's really nothing that sets the book apart from other books of its kind if you read the dust jacket description. But what drew me to it was the setting; urban San Francisco. I've read so many books with mundane suburban settings, so it was nice to read about characters taking metro trains and buses and living that city life. That's how Beatrix meets Jack, on a late night bus. I really liked how Beatrix, who has a bit of a shattered family life, clearly liked Jack when she first met him based on her narration, but on the outside, she didn't let him in at first. I found that very realistic. I also liked how Jack's appearance and the fact that he's an earthy Buddhist sets up an image that makes him seem like he could be a homeless youth or something, but that is so not the case, and that just goes to show that everyone is fighting different battles that you don't know the half of. To know someone is to be invited into their life, and lots of time what we don't share outwardly are the biggest parts of our lives. Beatrix's life goal was also unique and interesting; she likes drawing anatomy and wants to illustrate bodies for textbook diagrams and such. It's one of those professions that you don't really think about until you do; someone has to do that, so who does?

Another thing I loved about The Anatomical Shape of a Heart was how the author, Jenn Bennett, included a gay character that was in no way influenced by heteronormativity, Beatrix's older brother Heath. If you can write gay characters that are just people without making them seem like aliens compared to straight people, I immediately love you. I don't think it was ever said that Heath "is gay", he has a boyfriend named Noah and came home from a club with glitter stuck to him (LOL). Bennett's writing just made it seem so normal and commonplace and for that I commend her, because this is how it should be in real life; no heteronormativity, just life. I also find it kind of like an oxymoron; because 95% of contemporary YA books are about cliché teenage straight couples, so for a book with a baseline premise we've seen a thousand other times to include a strong, normal gay character like Heath is bordering on groundbreaking, if you ask me.

I blew through The Anatomical Shape of a Heart quicker than I thought it would, so it's an easy, breezy, enjoyable read. Another good thing about it is that it portrays sex in a really open and honest way; most parents would like to believe that their children don't fantasize about sex or begin to develop sexual desires, but they do, and this book really hits the mark on that. If you're a contemporary YA fan, I definitely recommend. 5/5 stars.