all my friends are superheroes

Due to the lateness of the hour and my excited state after having read this gloriously sweet book, i present to you a picture of myself, in bed, holding the book in question.

Now imagine i'm shaking it in your face, demanding you read it at once.

Because if you were in my presence, that is what i would do, until you did as you were told.

I kid you not.

Love stories can be predictable and disgustingly saccharine but All My Friends Are Superheroes is neither of these things.

It's nerdy.

It's familiar.

It's funny.

It's in no way nauseating.

It's perfect.

And it made me cry.

That happens sometimes.

I'm not made of steel.

So, read it!

It's only little.

Unless you're heartsick because it might just finish you off.

 'Tom remembered this moment as he felt the instrument push down his aorta. The pain was unbelievably sharp. Tom opened his eyes. He craned his neck. He saw a tiny ghost coming out of his heart.

Tom recognized the ghost as Jessica Kenmore. Her head, then her chest, her hips and finally her legs squeezed out of his heart. She floated upwards, dissolving just before she touched the ceiling.

Ambrose pushed the instrument deeper. The head of Sally Morgan appeared. Sally's chest, then her feet came clear. She floated up, dissolving just before reaching the ceiling. 

Next came Nancy Wallenstine. Then Sara Livingstone. Then Debbie Cook.

"Christ, how many do you have in there?" Ambrose called.

"There should be one more," Tom told him.

Tom gripped the edge of the kitchen table. He clenched his teeth. Ambrose pushed the instrument deeper. The head of Jenny Remington popped out of his heart.

Jenny Remington pulled herself free. She floated over to Tom's head. She stared at him. She looked so sad. She continued staring him in the eyes, then dissolved.

Tom closed his eyes. He took a deep, deep breath. He could feel the Stewart every time his heart beat.

"Well, that didn't work," Ambrose said, pulling the Stewart out of Tom's heart.

"What?"

"Still broken. Good that you cleaned her out. You won't be getting those pains any more, but she's still broken."

"Can't you fix it?"

"Nope. The whole thing's broken, and when she breaks like that, there's nothing anyone can do," Ambrose said, wiping the Stewart clean with the cloth from his back pocket. "Maybe it'll mend itself. Sometimes they do."