Wow, just wow. Amazing book about family and learning to want to live. Learning to move on when someone has to leave for good. Powerful story. Hits close to home... ( )

My review of "The Voice in My Head" comes from a person with chronic illness. One of those illnesses is asthmatic bronchitis.

I can tell you that the family arguing around Violet does her no good. I probably tired her out as much as the pulmonary fibrosis.

The Mayo Clinic says that pulmonary fibrosis "scars and thickens the tissue around and between the air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs. This makes it more difficult for oxygen to pass into your bloodstream."* This disease is also more likely to affect those over 50. So it was rare for Violet to have it. As an aside, I recommend the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation at https://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org/ for those diagnosed or their loved ones. It is an excellent source of information and support.

Chronic illness can also separate you from loved ones and friends. Whether you are bedridden, you probably have to limit contact with people due to a weakened immune system. You can't do as much. You separate yourself because you feel what are earth do you have in common anymore?

I can attest to the description of the attack of apoxia. I have experienced it many times. I have exercise-induced asthma, would have attacks in gym class, and sometimes have apoxia. I remember attacking my fellow students with a hockey stick once. I also lost consciousness at another. In recent years, I've had apoxia when I've been sick. At least I have oxygen at home and can raise the flow of liters per minute.

The parents' and loved ones' panic is the main reason the ER pushes them out of the room. It disturbs the patient and is a distraction for the doctor.

The swelling in the legs is most likely lymphedema, which happens when there is a problem with your lymph nodes--a part of your immune system. Anyone with a compromised immune system has to on watch for leg swelling.

The belly swelling is not unusual with lung illnesses, but she has additional issues, aka comorbidities. Violet has kidney and liver issues and bleeding. A patient like her needs to been taken to the hospital immediately.

This trip with her family was about her being able to experience life up to the last breath.

I loved the book. It hit me where I live.

*Mayo Clinic Staff, 2020-2021, Pulmonary fibrosis, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-fibrosis/symptoms-cause... ( )

DNF ( )

4.5 stars.

The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis is a poignant yet humorous young adult novel.

Indigo Phillips cannot imagine life without her terminally ill twin sister Violet who is on the verge of dying. Just as she is about to jump from a building, Indigo hears, what she believes to be, the Voice of God. In the hospital after her accidental fall, she persuades her parents, her much older sister Michelle and her younger brother Alfred that she is not suicidal. Now with the family gathering to read their last letters to Violet who is planning to die with dignity through medically assisted death, Indigo convinces everyone God told her they must go to Arizona. Despite everyone's skepticism, the entire family, along with their New Age Pastor Jedidiah Barnabas, Michelle's husband Drew and their two sons, embark on a road trip from Seattle to Coyote Bluffs where they must win a daily lottery so they can hike to The Wave.

Indigo is trying to come to terms with a plethora of issues in the face of Violet's imminent death. Her sister is well-liked, easy-going and a rule follower. Since Indigo is none of those things, she cannot understand why she is the twin who is going to live. Her relationship with her parents, especially her mom, is very complex and Indigo believes that while her mother loves her, she does not particularly like her. Indigo is also constantly butting heads with Michelle, who is very bossy and extremely outspoken. She is also very hurt and confused since Violet has distanced herself from her in the preceding months. Indigo is counting on this trip to somehow miraculously save Indigo, but are her and her family's expectations unrealistic? And, is God really speaking to Indigo?

The Voice in My Head is an engaging, laugh out loud funny novel that also deals with very sensitive subject matter. The Phillips' family leans more toward the dysfunctional side so it is unsurprising that Indigo is flailing in the upcoming loss of her twin sister. Although it takes a majority of the trip, many of the family members' issues come to light which in turn forces them to face their problems head on. Dana L. Davis brings this emotional, heartfelt novel to a surprisingly uplifting conclusion. An outstanding young adult novel that I highly recommend to older teenage and adult readers. ( )