Reconstructing Natalie

Reconstructing Natalie
By Laura Jensen Walker
Westbow Press, 2006. 310 pgs. Fiction

Natalie is a young woman of 27 when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. I thought this would be a very serious story--and it is--yet it is replete with humor. When she shares her cancer with others there are a variety of reactions. Some friends are very supportive--others are distant. Her boyfriend is more than distant--he disappears. Natalie joins a support group, opts for a double mastectomy, undergoes weeks of chemotherapy and comes through with reconstructive surgery, a new career, new friends, and a new love interest. There's pain, embarrassment, heartache, and nausea, offset with encouragement, support, humor, and love.

SML