Scarred Hearts by M. Blecher

Confined to a sanatorium by a debilitating spinal illness, a young man endures body casts, treatments, and the tedium of institutional routines while forging intense friendships and a precarious romance with a fellow patient. Wry, sensual, and unsentimental, the narrative balances suffering with desire and mordant humor, revealing how fragile bodies and finite time can sharpen the appetite for pleasure and meaning.