Review: Fading by Heather Kirchhoff

Title: Fading
Author: Heather Kirchhoff
Release Date: January 1, 2015


What if you're told you won't live another year? What if you feel yourself slowly dying inside? What if you try to do everything you can to not hurt those you love, to live the rest of your days to the fullest? For sixteen-year-old Jennifer that's exactly what happens. She now struggles, knowing exactly what'll happen if she dies. She does her best to live a carefree life, to not question anything, but it's harder than she thought it would be. After all, how can you say goodbye to those you love while you still have time? How can you show your fears without breaking them?

I love short stories.  I can read them quickly and they count toward my Goodreads reading challenge (for which I am crazy behind).

Fading was truly different from anything I've read.  It's written in second person POV (crazy right?) as a story of a sixteen-year-old girl who is losing her battle with cancer.  The point of view makes everything seem more real, making the reader experience what is going on in Jen's mind in a completely different way than first person does.

This is relatively short (which is wonderful in my opinion) and yet Fading does an amazing job of creating tension between family and friends caused by terminal illness.  It's sad to read, because things like this happen every single day.

I would recommend reading this particularly if you're in the mood for something short (as it is).  Even so, it's a good contemporary story.

Note: I received a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.