Book Review: Breathless


Title: Breathless
Author: Lurlene McDaniel

Synopsis:
    What is the toughest request anyone can be asked to fulfill?Travis Morrison is a champion diver and one of the most popular kids at school. On the first day of summer vacation, while boating on the lake with his friends, Travis attempts a silly stunt dive that goes wrong. He fears he has broken his leg. Instead, his trip to the hospital reveals he has a rare form of cancer, and to save him, the doctors tell his parents they must amputate. In an instant, Travis's life and the lives of everyone around him are forever changed. Travis is determined that he and only he should decide the course of his life. He has a plan, but he can't carry it out alone. Will he convince one of his friends to fulfill his most important request? Lurlene McDaniel tackles a controversial subject, probing the issues of personal choice and quality of life.

Thoughts On The Book:
     The story revolves around one of the most controversial issues we're facing today  EUTHANASIA. Euthanasia is the process of painlessly helping a terminally ill person to die. Known also asassisted suicide or mercy killing, euthanasia is illegal for humans in the United States. Generally, euthanasia is performed by lethal injection, using the same drugs as those on death row are executed. There are four major characters in this story: Cooper, Travis, Emily, and Darla.
     Travis has a cancer and when he can't take the pain anymore, he asks his friend Cooper , Emily, and Darla to help him end his life. He researched the internet for options and he wanted to die drowning in water.
     The story chronicles the dilemma of Travis's friends of whether to help him or not.
    Yes, I'm still not in favor of mercy killing, but I am not in the position to judge what they have done. Honestly speaking, if I were in their shoes, I wouldn't really know what to do. I would be torn between my religious belief and the pain of seeing your love one suffer and wanting to die.
     However, I still believe that only God has the right to take your life. He won't give a challenge you can't overcome. If you are in pain, just think of all the suffering he's done for us and you will be enlightened.
Days before the planned drowning in the lake, Travis was rushed to the hospital due to some complications. He was in coma and the doctors wanted to cut his other leg. But before that happens, Travis suddenly died. 
     The ending of the story is little bit puzzling. I'm not really sure who injected the insulin but I guess it was Cooper since Trevor told him about it. Insulin overdose can't be detected in your blood.

Quotes From The Book:

"Most people believe they have a clear idea of what's right and wrong. Many say they know how they'll act, or how they'll handle an extreme situation. But to be honest, no one knows. Not really. Even if you say, 'I'll never do this or that.'  it actually might not be true. Because no one of us truly knows what we'll do when the circumstances become so overwhelming and complex that we can't even tell right from wrong. And then there are the totally unforeseen situations, when life deals cards you never expected, or when something's that's considered wrong morphs into something right and your mind determines that what once was the rule is not written in stone."
"Everybody dies; that's a fact. Sometimes it blindsides people. Sometimes people get a glimpse of the big picture and decide to cheat." 
Rating: 4/5

Labels: ,