The Test

For anyone who has ever had to wait for scary labs!

Ever had unexplainable medical symptoms, a lump, a scary mole? The Test follows Kate Thomas through the 12 tense days she experiences after the discovery of a lump in her breast, from Day 1’s panic to Day 12 when her test results finally come in. Since her mother died of breast cancer, she assumes the worst:

“I think I probably have breast cancer and I’m, I’m just not…I don’t think I have what it takes to be one of those people who gets through it successfully.”
“What does it take?”
“I don’t know—think positively, and be strong and heroic and prepared to battle through no matter how bad it gets. Possibly have some sort of life changing epiphany or profound spiritual awakening.” I say this last sentence mockingly, like people who have such experiences are just showing off.

As the days unfold, and the tension mounts, she finds herself summing up her past—her marriage (failed), her parents (divorced), her mother’s illness, her career successes and failures. Meanwhile she tries to figure out how to negotiate her present with the knowledge of a possibly abbreviated future hanging over her—because despite the fear, the wait and the uncertainty, life goes on.

Review excerpts:

“As frightened as Kate is, she never loses her sense of humor. The story never never becomes maudlin or prosaic. I felt nervous with Kate every step of the way, and I cared about her. The illustrations add so much to the text.”

“… careful character development; strong atmosphere; a sense of authentic mystery and anticipation; plenty of literary grace notes and humor; and—importantly—illustrations that support the text and text that supports the illustrations.”


Please note: If you have a black and white e-reader and want to see the illustrations in color, you can go to The Test website (link is in the book) and view all the images as slideshows by chapter. Or you can download one of the free reading apps from the Amazon Kindle store and read The Test in color on your tablet, computer or phone. On the menu bar, click on Free Reading Apps where you will find the following apps:

Kindle for iPad
Kindle for PC
Kindle for Mac
Kindle for Android and Android Tablet
Kindle for iPhone and iPod Touch
Kindle for Windows Phone 7
Kindle for Blackberry
Kindle Cloud Reader (runs in your browser)