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Things I Learned While I Was Dead
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 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 low-tech, sub-fertile 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.
But when Calico is brought back to life, she's in a low-tech, sub-fertile 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.
- GenresYoung Adult
371 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2025
7 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 15, 2025
3.5 stars! super intriguing premise
July 12, 2025
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.
THINGS I LEARNED WHILE I WAS DEAD is a sci-fi dystopia about medical consent in a future that's more hopeful than I expected.
This is a book about consent in medical trials and its importance. The research here is run by very shady characters who are never telling the full truth - if they're telling the truth at all - and use that to manipulate the subjects. It's very reminiscent of earlier illegal tests - often performed by governments on people considered "undesirable" - but projected into the future.
The book discusses the ethics of research and who has the right to consent for others. There is a researcher who is determined to uphold ethics, even if those are not always the ones the subjects would like. She is determined to preserve all life, not just those the main character things are the good people.
In contrast to the dystopia of the premise, the future is a much more positive one than you might expect. In the aftermath of climate wars - over water and dwindling resources - the world has come together to survive. There are negative sides to the world - primarily around its treatment of the few fertile women - but it's largely one of hope. I appreciated the vision of what a united, world-first society could be like. It's also very interesting how this book envisions the future of resource intensive technology.
The book is largely told from Calico's perspective but it is interspersed with verse fragments from Asha's perspective. This difference in style really helped keep them separate and the verse nature of Asha's moments reflected the fact that the reader, like Calico, don't know if she's alive or asleep or something else for the whole book. It's broken up and could just be an echo of consciousness.
THINGS I LEARNED WHILE I WAS DEAD is a sci-fi dystopia about medical consent in a future that's more hopeful than I expected.
This is a book about consent in medical trials and its importance. The research here is run by very shady characters who are never telling the full truth - if they're telling the truth at all - and use that to manipulate the subjects. It's very reminiscent of earlier illegal tests - often performed by governments on people considered "undesirable" - but projected into the future.
The book discusses the ethics of research and who has the right to consent for others. There is a researcher who is determined to uphold ethics, even if those are not always the ones the subjects would like. She is determined to preserve all life, not just those the main character things are the good people.
In contrast to the dystopia of the premise, the future is a much more positive one than you might expect. In the aftermath of climate wars - over water and dwindling resources - the world has come together to survive. There are negative sides to the world - primarily around its treatment of the few fertile women - but it's largely one of hope. I appreciated the vision of what a united, world-first society could be like. It's also very interesting how this book envisions the future of resource intensive technology.
The book is largely told from Calico's perspective but it is interspersed with verse fragments from Asha's perspective. This difference in style really helped keep them separate and the verse nature of Asha's moments reflected the fact that the reader, like Calico, don't know if she's alive or asleep or something else for the whole book. It's broken up and could just be an echo of consciousness.
August 18, 2025
Thank you Faber Books for a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
“Things I Learned While I Was Dead” is a poignant story following Calico, a seventeen year old girl, whose sister suffers from an incurable disease. After watching Asha take her last breaths, Calico signs up to a Cryogenics Program that will preserve her sister’s body until there comes a day that the disease can be cured. This treatment won’t be free. In exchange, Calico must also join her sister in cryogenic storage and be part of a two-year long research program.
I loved this book. I haven’t read much YA science-fiction in a while so reading this novel was a breath of fresh air. A return to the genre I loved so much when I was younger. It was fast paced, full of unexpected twists and really grounded in reality. It felt like Kathryn Clark had time-travelled 45 years into our future and turned it into the book. The consequences of overconsumption, environmental neglect and war are starkly clear in this story. It’s a cautionary tale - reiterating to us that we can make meaningful change now.
The style of this book is so intriguing! We see Calico in the present day as she navigates life in the research facility and learn about her past through diary entries she’s writing in the real-time. Throughout the novel, we see her sister, Asha’s, perspective through poems. We don’t know if she’s alive. We don’t know what’s happened to her.
This central commentary on medical consent and ethical fallacies is so vital in our present day. How far would we go for the ones we love? What wouldn’t we sacrifice? What boundaries are we willing to cross for the hope of something better? These questions are approached with a lot of nuance and was really intriguing to read.
This was a wonderful debut!
“Things I Learned While I Was Dead” is a poignant story following Calico, a seventeen year old girl, whose sister suffers from an incurable disease. After watching Asha take her last breaths, Calico signs up to a Cryogenics Program that will preserve her sister’s body until there comes a day that the disease can be cured. This treatment won’t be free. In exchange, Calico must also join her sister in cryogenic storage and be part of a two-year long research program.
I loved this book. I haven’t read much YA science-fiction in a while so reading this novel was a breath of fresh air. A return to the genre I loved so much when I was younger. It was fast paced, full of unexpected twists and really grounded in reality. It felt like Kathryn Clark had time-travelled 45 years into our future and turned it into the book. The consequences of overconsumption, environmental neglect and war are starkly clear in this story. It’s a cautionary tale - reiterating to us that we can make meaningful change now.
The style of this book is so intriguing! We see Calico in the present day as she navigates life in the research facility and learn about her past through diary entries she’s writing in the real-time. Throughout the novel, we see her sister, Asha’s, perspective through poems. We don’t know if she’s alive. We don’t know what’s happened to her.
This central commentary on medical consent and ethical fallacies is so vital in our present day. How far would we go for the ones we love? What wouldn’t we sacrifice? What boundaries are we willing to cross for the hope of something better? These questions are approached with a lot of nuance and was really intriguing to read.
This was a wonderful debut!
October 2, 2025
This book is beautifully written, weaving creative and brilliant characters into a narrative that’s both imaginative and grounded. Snippets of the narration take the form of poetry, providing a striking contrast to Calico's more straightforward storytelling, complimenting the overall reading experience.
The vision of the future presented is a realistic mix of sadness and hope—touching on important themes such as; climate change, grief and medical ethics. It also highlights the consequences, particularly surrounding the global infertility crisis. These layered themes make for a compelling and thought-provoking read. A truely remarkable and special book.
The vision of the future presented is a realistic mix of sadness and hope—touching on important themes such as; climate change, grief and medical ethics. It also highlights the consequences, particularly surrounding the global infertility crisis. These layered themes make for a compelling and thought-provoking read. A truely remarkable and special book.
September 16, 2025
I loved this book! It's beautifully written and full of fascinating themes: medical ethics, choice and consent, grief.
Calico is such a brilliant main character: fierce and brave, never giving up on her search for her sister Asha. She's a perfect pair of eyes through which to view the near-future world created in the book. But I also had a huge soft spot for Jem, the troubled boy she forms a connection with in the research facility.
Asha's snippets of the narration are written as poetry and provide a great foil for Calico's narration.
The book paints a picture of the future that's a realistic mixture of bleak and hopeful. Quite a lot has changed for the better in response to climate change, but there are also some really dark aspects, particularly when it comes to dealing with the infertility crisis.
This dark thread to the plot, and some occasionally wince-inducing imagery (needle to the eyeball!!!), means I would definitely say this is one for older teens. And for them, I would one hundred percent recommend it as a gripping thriller that also raises a lot of fascinating questions about the future.
Calico is such a brilliant main character: fierce and brave, never giving up on her search for her sister Asha. She's a perfect pair of eyes through which to view the near-future world created in the book. But I also had a huge soft spot for Jem, the troubled boy she forms a connection with in the research facility.
Asha's snippets of the narration are written as poetry and provide a great foil for Calico's narration.
The book paints a picture of the future that's a realistic mixture of bleak and hopeful. Quite a lot has changed for the better in response to climate change, but there are also some really dark aspects, particularly when it comes to dealing with the infertility crisis.
This dark thread to the plot, and some occasionally wince-inducing imagery (needle to the eyeball!!!), means I would definitely say this is one for older teens. And for them, I would one hundred percent recommend it as a gripping thriller that also raises a lot of fascinating questions about the future.
July 31, 2025
I read this because I work with reluctant teenage readers. It's the most fantastic read: a real page-turner, with sympathetic teenage characters and touching on a range of issues that preoccupy teens these days: climate change, identity, belonging and family, especially. These are all woven into a story about human experimentation and cryogenics which keeps your heart in your mouth! The book builds to a crescendo with several unexpected twists and turns, and would make a fabulous film. Seriously, I could hardly put the book down!
October 28, 2025
Waking up in 2070 wasn’t part of the plan. Calico vowed to do anything to save her younger sister, Asha, but losing 50 years wasn’t in the deal.
Cryogenically frozen as a teen along with her terminally ill sister, Calico wakes in a locked down facility with four other teens who have also ‘woken’.
Desperate for news of Asha and her recovery, Calico finds many obstacles to overcome. Her doctor is cagey, the security staff violent, and the other teens are dealing with their own stuff.
Learning the truth about Asha, and a family misunderstanding that helped her make the worst decision in her life, Calico faces up to her grief, and the truth. There is even worse revelations to come, underpinning the reasons why she and Asha were frozen 50 years before.
Short chapters interspersed with poem-like dreamstate, make Things I Learned While I Was Dead, a fast-paced read. Main character Calico has a fierce and determined personality fighting for any information about her much loved terminally ill sister, Asha.
There is much to learn and reveal about life 50 years after she’s been frozen – in both the science facility she is held in and within her family. A love interest develops between Calico and a boy named Jem who makes her question everything around her. The truth is more shocking than she ever imagined.
An insight to our possible future is interesting, and not as doom and gloom as one has come to expect in dystopian novels. Maybe there is still time for the world to come together to save not only humans but the planet we live on?
Cryogenically frozen as a teen along with her terminally ill sister, Calico wakes in a locked down facility with four other teens who have also ‘woken’.
Desperate for news of Asha and her recovery, Calico finds many obstacles to overcome. Her doctor is cagey, the security staff violent, and the other teens are dealing with their own stuff.
Learning the truth about Asha, and a family misunderstanding that helped her make the worst decision in her life, Calico faces up to her grief, and the truth. There is even worse revelations to come, underpinning the reasons why she and Asha were frozen 50 years before.
Short chapters interspersed with poem-like dreamstate, make Things I Learned While I Was Dead, a fast-paced read. Main character Calico has a fierce and determined personality fighting for any information about her much loved terminally ill sister, Asha.
There is much to learn and reveal about life 50 years after she’s been frozen – in both the science facility she is held in and within her family. A love interest develops between Calico and a boy named Jem who makes her question everything around her. The truth is more shocking than she ever imagined.
An insight to our possible future is interesting, and not as doom and gloom as one has come to expect in dystopian novels. Maybe there is still time for the world to come together to save not only humans but the planet we live on?
January 15, 2026
wow!!! in an attempt to broaden my genre horizon i picked up this book and hoped for the best. but once i started reading i could not put it down!
this story follows calico and her sister, asha, who is terminally ill and passes away. however, in a last ditch effort to save asha, calico signs her up for cryogenic freezing. but this comes at a cost - calico herself must also be frozen, brought back to life and then donate the following two years of her life to being a research specimen.
the book explores the topics of medical consent, ethics, and grief. the majority of the story takes place in 2070, giving a snapshot of a post-“green war” future with no phones, current day technology or planes. we listen to calicos inner thoughts and experiences, while also having a glimpse at asha’s life through beautifully written poems. the plot twists in this story were crazy! but still, the ending felt like it did justice to both calico and asha.
i would highly recommend a read to anyone whod listen to me yap about it lol. but especially if you love a bit of a dystopian sci-fi!
as someone who usually never reads this genre i absolutely loved it! five stars <3
this story follows calico and her sister, asha, who is terminally ill and passes away. however, in a last ditch effort to save asha, calico signs her up for cryogenic freezing. but this comes at a cost - calico herself must also be frozen, brought back to life and then donate the following two years of her life to being a research specimen.
the book explores the topics of medical consent, ethics, and grief. the majority of the story takes place in 2070, giving a snapshot of a post-“green war” future with no phones, current day technology or planes. we listen to calicos inner thoughts and experiences, while also having a glimpse at asha’s life through beautifully written poems. the plot twists in this story were crazy! but still, the ending felt like it did justice to both calico and asha.
i would highly recommend a read to anyone whod listen to me yap about it lol. but especially if you love a bit of a dystopian sci-fi!
as someone who usually never reads this genre i absolutely loved it! five stars <3
November 23, 2025
Loved this book! A brilliant and original premise which evolves into a considered and nuanced examination of how far one should go to preserve the life of a loved one, all through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Calico.
Calico makes the ultimate sacrifice to save her dying sister Asha, only to wake up in a post-climate catastrophe future to find Asha is missing.
The book deals with many complex and difficult topics (death, suicide, medical ethics, consent, climate breakdown) all in a very hopeful fashion. A compelling read.
Calico makes the ultimate sacrifice to save her dying sister Asha, only to wake up in a post-climate catastrophe future to find Asha is missing.
The book deals with many complex and difficult topics (death, suicide, medical ethics, consent, climate breakdown) all in a very hopeful fashion. A compelling read.
September 23, 2025
Devoured in a single day. This book gets a lot right for me. The setting contains just enough detail to make the story rich but without feeling the need to spend ages on description or world building. It contained an undercurrent of sci-fi that kept me hooked but was a lot more about the relationships between the characters and their emotions.
November 27, 2025
Interesting premise but I thought the actual quality of the writing, especially the dialogue, was quite poor. Most characters felt quite cliche to me and I found them generally quite unlikeable. The world felt like underbaked to me, it felt like it added in a bunch of dystopian concepts without really understanding how to make it work/have depth. I also personally felt like there was a lot of holes in the logic or things about this world that didn’t make sense.
November 17, 2025
Probably 2.5 stars.
It was an interesting by start and premise - cryopreservation, reanimation, and waking in a future world you don't understand. Lots of villains and treachery.
But in general I found a lot of it really slow in is execution. Also, the interspersed poetry just didn't work for me. In addition to the sci fi there was supernatural stuff then? meh.
It was an interesting by start and premise - cryopreservation, reanimation, and waking in a future world you don't understand. Lots of villains and treachery.
But in general I found a lot of it really slow in is execution. Also, the interspersed poetry just didn't work for me. In addition to the sci fi there was supernatural stuff then? meh.
July 13, 2025
Definitely a unique story. Loved the idea behind it.
I didn’t feel particularly pulled in or gripped but it was an easy read and overall enjoyable
I didn’t feel particularly pulled in or gripped but it was an easy read and overall enjoyable
November 13, 2025
4.5 stars.
February 10, 2026
I had the pleasure of attending some book talks at the Turner Contemporary a few months back, and met the lovely Kathryn Clark as she regaled her long history with reading in a summary of her life story and gave a hearty description of what I thought would be an interesting, albeit slightly unoriginal, story. Seeing a collective timeline of the life and death of each character was much appreciated by possibly only me and got me very hyped for when the book would arrive (which turned out to be a few weeks ago).
I thought of Clark often while reading, especially interpreting the poems, of her story.
I’m glad to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, as someone who isn’t a big fan of Y/A.
The duel perspective with a journey through dream-like poetry from Asha splitting the chapters up nicely and a grounded storyline from Calico made for quick reading- and who doesn’t love queer representation and a Freudian villain?
Calico and Jem are cute. Shimmy is my sweet angel daughter who can do no wrong. Otherwise I didn’t feel much for the other characters, leaning on a positive side of indifference.
I highly recommend this book. Only complaint is that my paperback copy is hard to hold open past the seventy page
I thought of Clark often while reading, especially interpreting the poems, of her story.
I’m glad to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, as someone who isn’t a big fan of Y/A.
The duel perspective with a journey through dream-like poetry from Asha splitting the chapters up nicely and a grounded storyline from Calico made for quick reading- and who doesn’t love queer representation and a Freudian villain?
Calico and Jem are cute. Shimmy is my sweet angel daughter who can do no wrong. Otherwise I didn’t feel much for the other characters, leaning on a positive side of indifference.
I highly recommend this book. Only complaint is that my paperback copy is hard to hold open past the seventy page
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2025
sorry, but this was not it.
we follow calico, who in 2025 lost her sister asha to cancer. she decides to sign a contract with dr. fates to preserve her and asha's body in a cryogenics chamber until a cure is found. calico's not sick, but she'll "sell" her healthy body to this research to pay for the process to be done with her sister. 45 years later, calico wakes up in a building in the middle of the Arizona desert and needs to find her sister. inside the program, she will meet more participants and learn what's behind her sister's death and this entire cryogenics process.
the idea is interesting, but the execution is strange at best. the writing is completely sparse, with no descriptions or ambiance. and despite an incredibly introspective narrative, because of a super clinical language choice, it doesn't convey any emotion whatsoever.
i finished the book searching for meaning in this decision, but in the end, nothing was purposeful in this entire story. it wasn't because calico, our main character and narrator, is lost in these buildings, still understanding what the program does, or maybe lost because she's living 45 years into the future, or even lost because of her grief. it's mainly because there wasn't any development behind any of the scenes of the novel. the characters, the ambiance, the relationships, even the idea of what the future looks like - it's all incredibly superficial. it's almost an idea and not an actual book.
we follow calico, who in 2025 lost her sister asha to cancer. she decides to sign a contract with dr. fates to preserve her and asha's body in a cryogenics chamber until a cure is found. calico's not sick, but she'll "sell" her healthy body to this research to pay for the process to be done with her sister. 45 years later, calico wakes up in a building in the middle of the Arizona desert and needs to find her sister. inside the program, she will meet more participants and learn what's behind her sister's death and this entire cryogenics process.
the idea is interesting, but the execution is strange at best. the writing is completely sparse, with no descriptions or ambiance. and despite an incredibly introspective narrative, because of a super clinical language choice, it doesn't convey any emotion whatsoever.
i finished the book searching for meaning in this decision, but in the end, nothing was purposeful in this entire story. it wasn't because calico, our main character and narrator, is lost in these buildings, still understanding what the program does, or maybe lost because she's living 45 years into the future, or even lost because of her grief. it's mainly because there wasn't any development behind any of the scenes of the novel. the characters, the ambiance, the relationships, even the idea of what the future looks like - it's all incredibly superficial. it's almost an idea and not an actual book.
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