The Dismantling

Simon Worth, a failed New York medical school student, and Maria Campos, a Los Angeles woman seeking a new start, connect in DeLeeuw’s powerful novel about illegal organ transplants. Simon, at loose ends and deep in debt after dropping out of med school, meets Peter DaSilva, who runs Health Solutions and presents a convincing argument that matching willing donors (who need the money) and patients (who can afford to pay for transplants otherwise unavailable) is a useful, though illegal, service. He also covers Simon’s debts and pays him for successful matches. Maria is a match for the first liver transplant Simon arranges; the intended recipient is a former pro footballer, Leonard Pellegrini. The system DaSilva has developed is smoothly professional, but its fragility is exposed when the transplant has complications. DeLeeuw (In This Way I Was Saved) skillfully probes the motivations of all those involved, in particular the personal issues that brought Simon and Maria to play their respective parts. Agent: Melissa Kahn, 3 Arts Entertainment (Apr.)