Section 3: Thoughts (Pg. 120 - end)

Cover Thoughts: Part 2
I was continually confused about what the cover meant, ever since i first began reading. The title, Heartbeat, to me, did not seem to connect with what the picture was - an apple. However, after reading further into the book, i conclusively found the answer. In the third section, when Annie's mother was pregnant, she was able to hear the heartbeat of her up-coming sibling, which was extremely meaningful to hear. However, throughout the story, Annie used to run and keep track of her heartbeat's steps and the synchronisation of her strides and her beat. Since running was so small, and the baby's heartbeat was so meaningful, it showed how a heartbeat could become so important at times (like the first time of hearing the baby's) but it can also be incorporated in something so small (like running and the synchronized rhythm of her feet and heartbeat). Something as simple as a heartbeat gained importance in this book - from Annie hearing the heart of a baby to hearing her own and noticing that the beat that is all throughout her surroundings. I finally knew that Heartbeat was the chosen title because heartbeats and rhythms seemed to be strewn throughout Annie's life. I noticed how a simple heartbeat was made so significant in the story, in the essential parts and even in the insignificant parts.