Inventing the Heart: A Grotesquely Sweet Tale

by Gloria Holt

There's this thing I'm stuck with.

One day, my chest cracked open and out it came. I have no idea what the throbbing pink-gray lump is, but I have an overwhelming urge to give it to someone…

And no one seems to want it.

A short story about the origins of that pesky organ known as the heart.

66 pages, Paperback

Published June 8, 2025

Reviews

[Jonathan Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting Gloria Holt at an event, and I'm so glad she shared a copy of Inventing the Heart with me. Though brief, the story is anything but small in impact. It's tender, beautifully written, and carries a depth that lingers. The love story at its center feels both timeless and refreshingly unique, with just the right touch of quirkiness to make it stand apart. I'm grateful to have read it, and I'll be carrying this story with me!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short story

[Atomic Pixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful!

This was a fun allegorical short story that I really enjoyed. I decided to read it because my former coworker wrote it and kept reading it because it hit all the right notes.

[BexBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short story. I’m not a single woman trying to date in this day and age but every date, every ‘horror story’ resounded with me. The overly sexual, the mooch, the ‘Dick’. And stumbling upon the perfect person to give that pesky, needy organ to. I loved this. Can’t wait to read more of Gloria’s work.