| Product: |
My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult |
| Date: |
10/01/07 (523 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: A great book that looks in depth at moral dilemma.
Disadvantages: Some may not like the medical detail.
Jodi Picoult is an incredible writer, though I am not sure I would want to be one of her characters, since the situations they are placed in are ones that are difficult psychologically, and ones that no-one would imagine would ever happen to them, though in fact, they do.
People have criticised the covers chosen for these books, pastel shades with pictures of loveable characters, although I actually like them very much and they do tempt me to read them more than hearts and flower covers do.
My sisters keeper tells the story of a family, though a family with difficult situations both caused by their handling of life as a family unit, and by circumstance, the two facets coupled nicely together in a manner which questions the correctness of all of the characters who combine to make the picture a whole one. Kate is a child who suffers Leukaemia from a very early age. Her parents decide to have a baby that would genetically be the perfect match for Kate, in order to do the best that they can to lengthen Kate's life, though in fact the ethics of the situation are not as clear cut as one would hope, culminating in Anna, the child who was born for this purpose, taking her parents to court for the rights to her own body, at the age of 13.
The foundation of the book is a splendid one, and poses questions about the character of all the players, seeking to find a just answer to the dilemma that Anna finds herself in. Brian and Sara Fitzgerald are the parents of three children. Any disfunction of the family unit seems to have been caused by the attention that is paid to the sick Kate. Everything is dropped in favour of being able to offer the best treatment they can to prolong the life of Kate, and it is clear in the book that the juvinile dilinquence of the son, Jesse, is in some small measure an after effect of the years of emotional turmoil caused by always feeling less important in the order of things than any child wants to. Anna, for her part seems a very strong and determined character, although you get that feeling through reading that a certain resentment exists. Whether or not it does only comes to light by reading the story, and here I would not wish to spoil it for anyone.
Kate herself at times seems over indulged though when you read through the horrors of her medical condition, and the pressures put on those around her, she actually endears you to her character after a while, because beneath that acceptance of being less than perfect, lies a child who wants to know what normality is about, who celebrates a moment of carelessness and embraces it as an experience, because the cotton wool existance she lives doesn't allow for spontaneous events, and those that happen are brief glances into the normal child that hides behind the sickness that dominates the lives of the whole family. Even falling in love is touched by the inevitability of failure, and it was a sad though deep read, not in the sense that the words were complex, as they certainly were easy reading, though in the sense of the question marks left in the readers' head.
Even Jodi Picoults son questioned the road which the story took, though in reality, it was a good story with a moral reason for the way it worked out the way it did, and I leave this for the reader to discover. I liked the way that the chapters were narrated by the different members of the family, giving a neat contrast in characters between the father, who worked as a fireman, the wife, an ex lawyer, Kate and Anna, and even the rebel son, Jesse. Further adding to the susbtance of the book are narrations by Cameron, the lawyer hired to take on Annas' case and Julia, a lady that is given guardianship of Anna during the trial. Their parts in the story add substance and reason and enhance the story by making it not simply about one family, but about how people react to circumstance, and the reasons behind their reactions.
This is a worthy book, and one that I shall be keeping in my library, and the second book of this author that I have read, although more are on order. I particularly liked the interview with the author at the back of the book, where you get a little of an idea about who she is, and how she sees her stories development. There is also a question section for discussion as in the previous book I read by this author, and I believe that this really does help a reader question the morality of the subject matter of her books, and enhance their understanding of relationships caught up in difficult circumstance. Write ups of other books by the same author take up the last couple of pages and are worthy of a read, tempting the reader into the purchase of other Jodi Picoult books. This lady really does have a knack of dealing with difficult circumstances, and of adding her sense of justice and realism to her fiction, helping a reader see a fully woven picture from all angles, and questioning moral attitudes in such a way that a reader is enlightened by seeing how the picture is displayed from every angle, and building up a believeable 3D image in the mind of the reader of all the characters that make up the whole story.
She writes amazing books, and I look forward to the next book with anticipation, knowing that so far, my experience of this writers work is that her stories pull you into their words, get you involved, and pursuade you to read on, not skipping anything, because it all matters, and is not merely padding to make the story seem longer.
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd; New Ed edition (10 Jan 2005)
Language English
ISBN-10: 034083546X
ISBN-13: 978-0340835463
Product Dimensions: 5 x 7.8 inches
Read it and learn to be open minded and hearted.
Rachel
Summary: A fantastic book that tempted me to buy more by the author.
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