Resurrecting Jessica by Dawn Carrington

How far would you go to save somebody you love? How much would you sacrifice to bring back that love?

In Resurrecting Jessica, Dawn Carrington asks both those questions . . . and provides the answer in a most unusual manner. The story begins with the death of the narrator's mother, an event it uses to explore the grief of our narrator, his sister, and their father. Just when it seems like there might be an opportunity for some healing, however, death befalls the sister as well, leaving a father and son who are emotionally distant from one another.

It's a sad tale, and one that does a very good job of establishing a situation where the actual transformation makes a certain kind of sense. Unable to bear the loss of both wife and daughter, dad begins slipping some experimental drugs into his son's diet, slowly and gradually transforming the young man into a young woman. The transformation itself is the focus of the story here, taking place over a long period of time. If you're looking for a magical, overnight transformation, followed by some sexual exploration, this isn't the story.

Instead, Resurrecting Jessica is all about what it means to slowly become a woman, and how it feels to have one's life slowly stripped away. It's all for a good cause, and there is a happily ever after, but Carrington never shies away from the difficult questions and confrontations involved.

Reviewed by Sally