Book Review: "A Better Heart" by Chuck Augello

This is an immensely thought-provoking and poignant piece of fiction.

A washed-up actor and a capuchin monkey walk onto a movie set. Sounds like the set-up for an interesting joke, no?

But this really happens to Kevin, on the set of the first indie film he's directing. His father, actor Edward Stacey (so yes, the main character's name is Kevin Stacey), Guinness World Record Holder for most appearances in a motion picture, arrives in a yellow raincoat, toting a gun, a stack of cash, and an (apparently) stolen capuchin monkey. Kevin hasn’t seen his father in four years.

It turns out that the monkey, Henry, was a test subject in a research lab, and he was freed by animal rights activists. Now this monkey, along with others that were freed, is wanted by the FBI.

Kevin and Henry quickly develop a bond, and as he learns more about the horrible treatment of research lab animals, he agrees to travel cross-country with his father in an effort to save Henry. The trip is not without hijinks, reopening old wounds, and family drama, but Kevin is determined to do the right thing.

The book takes place over multiple periods of time, and is heartwarming, funny at times, and it makes you think about the ways lab animals are treated. (It’s a little graphic when they talk about it, but nothing is actually happening to the animals in the book.) It’s a sweet story, a little goofy at times, but just an enjoyable read.

Thanks so much to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Chuck Augello, and Black Rose Writing for inviting me on the tour and providing a complimentary advance copy of A Better Heart in exchange for an unbiased review!!