Review of Dean Koontz's "Your Heart Belongs to Me"

The name of the book almost stopped me from reading it. "Your Heart Belongs to Me" sounded like another sappy girl-chases-guy romance, especially when I saw that the cover depicted a green-eyed beauty holding a bouquet to her face. Yet as soon as I had finished the first chapter, I was instantly intrigued.

"Your Heart Belongs to Me" tells the story of Ryan, a middle-aged entrepreneur lavishing in the millions he made on his social networking website. He is deeply in love with an aspiring novelist, Samantha, who repeatedly turns down his wedding proposals even though she loves him just as much. His world comes crashing down when he finds out he needs a heart transplant, and as a result of his panic, several supernatural events begin to occur, and they continue even after he receives the surgery. Mysterious trinkets, such as heart-shaped candies and lockets, appear in his bedroom. He finds strange connections between his girlfriend's estranged mother and the creepy man she is seeing. He experiences inexplicable occurrences of deja vu. Finally, he is stalked and lethally threatened by a girl who looks exactly like his heart donor-- who died over a year ago in a car accident.

One of Dean Koontz's key tools in this story is keeping readers torn between possibilities of these strange occurrences. He provides enough evidence to persuade them that Ryan is simply delirious and paranoid due to insane amounts of medication he must take after the transplant. I was convinced of this scenario when Ryan finds out that Ismay Clemm, the nurse who assisted with his surgery, had actually died months before the operation. Koontz is a master at spreading this paranoia from Ryan to the reader, who expects a disastrous incident on every page, even when they eventually prove to be perfectly harmless.

Throughout the novel, however, readers must exercise a great deal of patience.Part Oneseems drag on for longer than is necessary, and the riddle can not possibly be figured out by a reader until Ryan's enemy tells Ryan herself. I caution readers not to put down the book, even if they feel that the answer will never be revealed, because the climax is a heart-pounding shock-- and also teaches an invaluable lesson about wealth and selfishness. Koontz draws together seemingly unconnected clues, such as the meaning behind Samantha's first novel and the appearance of Ismay, in ways that are uniquely imaginative.

While the novel was not the tear-jerking romance I expected based on its title, love certainly does play a major role. Samantha adds mystery, as readers are constantly wondering what becomes of her relationship with Ryan. She is probably the most important figure for emphasizing the ultimate meaning of the novel. She teaches Ryan invaluable lessons throughout, lessons that would have ended his troubles from the beginning. Most importantly, she teaches him that details on the surface do not necessarily make a story enjoyable; sometimes it is the subconscious messages, barely noticed by readers, that draw them to it. Little did Koontz know that through Samantha's message, he was describing his own work.