BF1 ORIGINAL FICTION
87%
After a life-saving brain reconstruction, Matthew Milburn scores 87% against his former self. But as his newfound confidence transforms his life, his family must confront what the missing certainty means for love, trust and the choices that keep them safe.
ABOUT THE STORY
Matthew Milburn has always been careful. A devoted husband and father living in Auckland, he thinks through every possibility, worries about what might go wrong and quietly postpones the adventures he dreams of having.
Then a freak accident changes everything.
After a devastating brain injury, groundbreaking neurological reconstruction saves Matthew's life. His recovery is extraordinary, and a clinical assessment shows an 87% match with his former neurological baseline.
But what does the remaining difference mean?
At first, the changes seem almost entirely good. Matthew becomes more confident, more spontaneous and more willing to embrace life. He finally learns to sail, grows closer to his family and begins enjoying the freedom he once denied himself.
Yet his wife, Louise, notices something unsettling. Matthew can still recognise danger, but the instinctive fear that once made him cautious no longer seems to carry the same weight.
As his newfound confidence tests the boundaries of trust, love and responsibility, the Milburn family must face a question no medical assessment can answer.
If someone you love changes, how much of them must remain the same for that love to survive?
87% is a deeply human, thought-provoking novel about identity, marriage, parenthood and the complicated consequences of being given a second chance at life.