Zac & Mia

Betts, A. J. Zac & Mia. 2014. 289p. ISBN 9780544331648. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Zac has had leukemia for a long time. Enough to have undergone several rounds of treatment at a specialized hospital in Perth, Australia. Back in the oncology ward for marrows transplant, Zac has nothing but time on his hands as he can’t leave his room for 28 days. A man of statistics, Zac knows that the odds of his survival are low, less than 50%. But he’s a trooper, and he doesn’t want to disappoint his family. So he soldiers on. He knows everyone’s routine, and has met most of the patients on the ward.

When a new patient moves in Room 2, six centimeters from the wall that separates his Room 1, Zac is mildly interested. When he discovers that it is a girl about his age, he becomes intrigued. She blasts Beyoncé through her speakers, and, after the thirty-ninth time, Zac has enough. He pounds on the wall, and is surprised when she knocks back. Soon the two of the develop a relationship through Facebook, knocks, and exchanged messages. The end of her treatment means she gets to go home, while Zac stays at the hospital. Upon her return, he learns that her name is Mia.

Mia, for her part, discovered a localized tumor on her ankle. She receives chemotherapy treatments which are ineffective and she eventually loses her leg below the knee. She had been looking forward to a formal dance with her friends and her boyfriend, but now she’s bitter and lost. Who could possibly love a cripple and cancer survivor like her?

As they both try to move on from their most recent experiences, they can’t forget each other. As they navigate recovery, they realize that they mean more to each other than friends, but that facing truths about the odds of survival and the impact of cancer will be the greatest battle of their lives. Fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars will appreciate Zac and Mia’s special relationship and the measures they take to fight against their disease.