THINGS I LEARNED WHILE I WAS DEAD – JULY 2025
Saving Asha.
That’s my religion.
That’s my science.
Without Asha, there is no me.
How much is one life worth and what would you sacrifice to save it? For Calico, the answer is simple. Nothing is more important than preserving her sister’s life. No cost is too great. Until it is . . .
Asha is dead. Years of medical treatment were not enough to heal her. The only way 17-year-old Calico can save her younger sister now is by joining her in death – at least until modern medicine can bring them both back to healthy life. Cryogenics is the answer: Scientific. Legal. Safe. Or so Dr Fates would have her believe. He plans to preserve the sisters’ bodies until his biotechnology research finds a cure for Asha.
But when Calico is brought back to life, she’s in a post climate-catastrophe, low-tech future, trapped in a research facility. She’s at risk of being sold off to a sinister enforced breeding programme. And worst of all – Asha is missing.
Calico must find a way to save her sister, herself, and the new friends she’s made among the other test subjects. But first she has to unravel the secrets the facility is hiding and reveal the lies she has been part of.
In this striking debut, Kathryn Clark raises poignant questions about the ethics of medical science, humans playing god, the consequences of our choices, and the place of consent in healthcare.
Reviews
A haunting tale filled with emotional highs and lows and relationships I didn’t see coming, Things I Learned While I Was Dead shines a light on the unspoken impossible ethical dilemmas people sometimes have to face with advancing medical science surrounding the ones we love. Calico’s unwavering devotion to her sister sucked me in from the start and kept me hoping for the best for both of them all through. ― Kenechi Udogu, author of Augmented
A heart-stopping (literally!) concept with an emotional pull that refuses to let you go – excellent for cryogenically-frozen fans of My Love Life and the Apocalypse! ― Melissa Welliver, author of Soulmates and Other Ways to Die
An assured debut with a life-affirming message. A very different sort of frozen…One that makes you think about family and ethics and loss. Compelling and thought-provoking. A compelling story that kept me up late to finish it. Things I learned while I was reading: life is for living, and always check the small print before signing anything! ― Tracy Darnton, author of Ready Or Not
I was hooked from page one and I could not put it down (I ended up reading it in 24 hours). The mix of poetry with the prose surprised me in a good way. I loved the way the two voices mixed and supported each other. It was disturbing how real the world felt it could be but the emotions and drive of the characters were familiar and it really touched me. 10/10 – I loved every second of it! ― S. A. Gales, author of iNSiDE
Compelling and poignant, this is a breathtaking debut from an exciting new voice in children’s fiction. ― Steve Voake, author of Web of Fire
With brilliantly crafted world building and a cast of wonderful characters this book will hold your attention from the very first page. The tense, emotional scenes throughout raise poignant and thought-provoking questions that feel very real to our times. A must read for all teenagers. ― Mel Darbon, author of What The World Doesn’t See
I adored Kathryn’s punchy, fast paced writing that utilises to great effect so many formats and styles to bring this emotional, exciting story to life! It was unputdownable for me, from Day Zero to the very end! I defy you not to love Calico to death! ― Stuart White, founder of WriteMentor
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