This Little Life

When baby Luke is born, seventeen weeks early, he weighs a pound and fits into the palm of the midwife’s hand. He is given only a twenty-five percent chance of survival. Mere months after their happy wedding day, his parents Sadie and Richie are flung unexpectedly into the nightmare world of neonatal intensive care. In this bustling, bright, hyperreal environment, they begin the tortuous process of watching their child battle for life. The agony of waiting--either for a sign of hope or the beginning of the end. Sadie begins to believe Luke has a distinct personality: he is both a vulnerable baby and a wise, sometimes mischievous, little boy with a purpose. Their relationship develops, shifting constantly from the child’s struggle for survival to Sadie’s almost forgotten relationship with Richie. She imagines Luke’s inner life and explores with him what it means to be human.