Review: A Heart In A Body In The World

A Heart In A Body In The World by Deb Caletti published 2018


“It's hard to name a tragedy

When it keeps repeating

It's hard to name a tragedy

Constantly defeated”

“Lock & Load” by The Devil Wears Prada


When I started reading this book, I thought I had it all figured out.

All the signs were there.

All the imagery.

All the hints.

All of it.


Even the monster.

I thought, "this is predictable."

"I have it all figured out."


But I was wrong. Boy, was I wrong. But it didn't matter. I was already invested. Caletti's writing drew me in instantly and I was along for the ride, because I hate running.


One night Annabelle Agnelli starts running, literally, and she doesn't stop. Not figuratively anyway.

Annabelle is running for the hurt she us feeling. For clarity. For acceptance. For awareness. And most importantly, for healing. 


After her encounter with the monster, she has so much trauma to work through and process. She lost so much. Things she can never get back. Moments in time that are forever etched in her mind that she cannot change. Things were taken from her that ultimately changed the trajectory of her future forever.


Deb Caletti so accurately captures grief and trying to move on. While I have never experienced the same situation as Annabelle, I felt her hurt and her pain and tried to rationalize moving on after something you never fathomed happening. The Devil Wears Prada also managed to capture the experience, on a much broader spectrum, in their song “Lock and Load.”


Annabelle ends up running across the country to raise awareness about her experience. One that is, unfortunately, all too common in America. One that has been happening for years, with occurrences appearing weekly in the news. She brings to light a problem that far too many students face without lawmakers caring about how to protect them. It is through her running and her becoming a voice for those who no longer have a voice that she is able to work through her history and find solace and the strength to move forward.


This is a must read. For young adults, for parents, for anyone in your life that has a soul.

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