Pat D. (pat0814) reviewed on 12/5/2015 + 379 more book reviews

Where My Heart Used to Beat is the story of Robert Hendricks, a war-damaged English psychiatrist who receives a request from an elderly stranger living in a remote island in the Mediterranean. The man, also a psychiatrist named Alexander Pereiera, served with Hendricks' father in WWI and has some information about him that may be of interest to Hendricks. Since Hendricks' father died while Robert was a child, this is an opportunity to find out more about the man he never knew. Pereiera also states that he would like Hendricks to be his literary executor. These are intriguing reasons for Hendricks to visit Perriera, which he does with an outcome that is surprising to him.

Through the course of their conversations, Hendricks reveals details about his military service that have irrevocably altered the course of his thinking about the fundamental nature of man and the atrocities perpetrated in the 20th century. During the course of his military service, he falls in love with a woman. This relationship and its precipitous conclusion add another layer of cynicism to his way of viewing the world.

There are intriguing aspects of this book that are never fully explored. Sebastian Faulks writes very well; the descriptions of Hendricks' war experiences are harrowing in their details. The parts that delve into his psychiatric practice and conclusions were not as engrossing as they could have been. Somehow I just never connected with the character of Robert Hendricks in any memorable way. I am grateful to LibraryThing for the opportunity to read this book as an early reviewer.

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