Title: SUPPRESSED
Author: Sue C Dugan
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction/Coming of Age
Book Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Annie Montague has another chance at living a normal life after a tragic car accident paralyzes her and kills her best friend. A new, never before done in the U.S., operation involves graphing her head on another woman’s body.
Annie is willing to try anything to leave the mundane confides of her hospital room where she either stares at the ceiling, the hallway, or the floor tiles. She doesn’t feel anything from the neck down, but her memories remind her of everything she’s left behind.
This risky operation could mean death or a new life with varying side-effects. Side effects that could erase Annie’s memories, alter her hormones, and make her into a entirely different person. Is she willing to risk this for a chance to walk again? And be independent?
Excerpt:
"We have something we'd like to discuss with you," her father said. Annie heard the scrap of the chairs and knew her parents were settling in.
"Umm hmm." Her eye lids, heavy and tired, drooped. Was it to tell her about Rachel? “Is this about Rachel?" she asked, sleepily.
"Why no," her father said.
“I already know about Rachel. I watched it on the news and Catie told me about the memorial at school.”
“We figured that much,” her father said. “We were waiting until you were stronger to tell you.”
Too late for stronger.
For doctors who routinely dealt with death, her parents could be reluctant to talk about the end of life or maybe they were desensitized to the finality of it all? They wouldn’t let her attend her grandmother’s funeral because she might be ‘traumatized’. What a joke.
"Then what?" She pushed her fatigue away, but kept her eyes closed, listening and not seeing.
"You can certainly say no, but we wish you'd consider it," her mother said.
Was this the 'we'd like you to move to a facility closer talk’ or ‘we'd like to take you home and hire a nurse to tend you'? She liked the impersonal atmosphere of the hospital. She was someone's job, not someone's useless invalid daughter. Here she was useful, she kept people employed.
“Is this about moving home?" She yawned widely.
"No," her father said. She heard him edge his chair closer bump, scrape bump.
"This is something different," her mother said, shifting feet. Annie heard the movement of the fabric of her trousers rubbing together.
"Okay, tell me." Annie was fading fast.
“Ah…” Her mother hesitated which wasn't characteristic for her. “There are several people involved in vehicle accidents.”
"Umm hmm."
"Only they have massive head trauma."
Her father cleared his throat. "The bodies are fine, unlike yours." As if she needed to be reminded of the fact.
Here was the kicker, she could tell. They were tag teaming it, she recognized the signs, an overwhelming heaviness filled her already ladened body.
"What would you think if your head was graphed onto another body?" her mother asked. The silence hung pungent and still.
"Is that done?" Annie’s eyes snapped open, suddenly awake and alert.
"They've been experimenting on mice and monkeys for some time and have been successful.”
Now she was compared to a rodent and distantly-related ancestors. Hardly complimentary, but better than a vegetable, she guessed.
Her mother continued, “They did a similar operation on several men in China.” Frankenstein Won Ton had a catchy ring to it. Frankenstein Annie didn't.
"Really?" Would Annie get to pick the body she wanted? Taller, bigger breasts, etc.?
“If successful you'd be the first in the States but you'd have to be on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of your life. It might give you 5 to 7 additional years.”
"But I could walk again?"
"Hopefully," her father said. He was full of hope.
“Who are those people?" Annie asked.
"They’re identified as Donors W, X, Y and Z.”
“Do I get to pick the body I want?” Annie asked, a vision of bodies stretched out before her. Fat ones. Skinny ones. Male. Female. Black. White.
“It will depend on compatibility. We’ll have to go with the first body that matches with yours.”
She wouldn’t get to pick. What if she didn’t like the body. What if it was a man’s body?
"What if the surgery isn’t successful?"
The elephant in the room. The grim reaper.
"Well...” Her father said. "That’s always a possibility."
"Can I think about it?" Annie asked.
“Of course."
“This is a huge decision and we wanted you to have time to think about it,” her mother said.
“We’ll be back tomorrow," her father said, picking up her useless hand and squeezing. “But take as long as you need.” Annie opened her eyes briefly, hearing the rustle on the bed sheet and seeing his gesture.
He put on his coat. Her mother leaned over, smoothed back Annie’s hair and kissed her forehead, the dampness of her coat smelled of wool and evergreen. “Goodbye, we’ll see you later.”
Sure, time to go and leave her with that life-altering decision to make. Would she be able to sleep after all that?
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
OVERDRIVE
BOOKBUB
GOOD READS
BOOKTRIB
What makes your featured book a must-read?
This is a must-read book for anyone working with people paralyzed or hospitalized. Annie’s life seems hopeless until she learns about a new surgery that could make her whole again. While this is a work of fiction, experiments on humans have been done in China.
Anyone in medical school should read SUPPRESSED to understand what life is like for a paraplegic.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $20 Amazon gift card:
Open Internationally.
Runs September 10 – September 17, 2024.
Winner will be drawn on September 18, 2024.
Author Biography:
Sue writes five-star LitPick novels that keep readers of all ages turning pages long into the night. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, attending author events, or walking her dogs. She has two children and five grandchildren. Snack wise, Sue is a salty-type gal, but wouldn’t say no to an occasional chocolate kiss or two! She isn’t sure she’s a reincarnated author, but if she was, she’d want to be Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, or Emily Brontë. When her novels are run through author comparison sites, she gets Anne Rice through Mark Twain—quite a wide spread which makes for interesting reading (Tom Sawyer was a Vampire?).
Social Media Links:
Sue C Dugan Author and Sue C Dugan Writer Books – Facebook
Scduganauthor – Instagram