Map of a Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Finding the Way Home

“Gracefully dances time backwards... Gorelick’s love, wit and wisdom ripple through time, page after page.” Heather Harpham, author of the Reese Witherspoon book club memoir, Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After

After losing her mother at eight, Gorelick spends her childhood shuffling from one temporary home to the next, seeking belonging. In her twenties, she falls in love, marries, and has a baby—finally finding a glimpse of stability. But everything changes on a day that begins in sunshine and ends in a frantic 911 call when Jacque’s husband collapses in front of her on a jogging trail.

What follows is a harrowing stretch in an ICU waiting room, where she must advocate for her comatose husband's life while caring for their newborn, navigating tenuous family dynamics, and confronting the ghosts of her past.

Map of a Heart is a deeply personal look at what it means to build a life when the foundation was fractured from the start. For readers who’ve ever asked, What makes a family?, this book offers an answer rooted in resilience, hope, and unconditional love.