9 circles of hell.... what is the Tenth Circle?? (The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult)

Name: mummy2harry

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Product:	The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult
Date:	10.08.07 (178 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, controversial topic

Disadvantages: Didn't captivate me like her other books

I have been a fan of Jodi Picoult's work ever since I read My Sister's Keeper a few years ago, so I had my name down on a pre-order for this. It has taken me absolutely ages to read this one because of my son not giving a minute to myself, but I have finally turned the last page and finished the book, so I thought I might as well review it!

~*The Author*~
Jodi Picoult has written many bestsellers, including the above mentioned My Sister's Keeper, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth, The Pact, Nineteen Minutes and Perfect Match. Her latest book Nineteen Minutes, debuted at Number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. She has a masters degree in education and is currently working on her next novel 'Change of Heart'.

*The Novel*
The basic story of the novel is the love between Daniel Stone, and his daughter Trixie, and just how far a parent will go in order to protect their child from the unthinkable happening to them.

Trixie one day comes home in tears and tells her father that she has been raped by her boyfriend, Jason. When she reports it to the police, it seems nothing is what it seems to be. Things take a further twist when Jason makes the whole case more complicated, and implicates Trixie in another crime...but is it as it seems?

The book is full of twists and turns, mystery and intrigue. Some of the twists in the plot are unexpected, and I certainly didn't see them coming. This does not have the normal format of a Picoult novel, which is crime, family story then a court case. There is of course a crime, and an underlying family story but there is no court case at the end to finish things off, which to be honest I didn't like.

*The Characters*
Daniel Stone - He is the father of Trixie Stone who the main story of the book focuses on, although Daniel plays a major part in the book. He draws comic strips for a living, and was the only white boy bought up in an Eskimo village, where he felt like an outsider. He doesn't face any of his own demons about his childhood until Trixie is faced with a life changing dilemma, and he has to support his child.

Trixie Stone - A typical 14 year old teenage girl, whose life takes a bit turn when she is raped by her then boyfriend Jason Underhill at a party. We take a big journey with Trixie, from being an insecure young girl to one who has had to grow up too fast, and tries to spare her parents from any more grief and upset...

Laura Stone - Daniel's wife and Trixie's mother. She is a University Professor. She is having an affair with one of her pupils, and when she decides to end it, her world is shattered in a new way when she hears of her daughter's rape. She struggles with this, and also trying to hide her affair from her husband and daughter...

Jason is the star of the football team, and the one who is accused of raping Trixie. Jason is visibly upset by the claim of rape, and is adamant that it was not rape, but consensual sex, yet his friends and family eventually start to turn on him, leaving him feeling alone and that this young woman has ruined his life.

*My Opinion*
Right from the start of this book, I wasn't completely convinced. Usually after the first few chapters, I find I struggle to put down a Jodi Picoult book, but it really wasn't the case with this book. Perhaps this is why it took me so long to read it, I felt no real desire to hurry to the end and find out what happened, but I really cannot put my finger on why that is!

Trixie's mother Laura is an expert of Dante's Inferno, and it is clear that the thread of this runs throughout the book. The inferno is explained in the book by way of lessons by Laura, but the main idea is that there are 9 circles of hell, and I suppose Picoult is hinting that there is a Tenth Circle, which is in the book. This is also reflected in the comic strip drawings which appear throughout the book and are meant to be Daniel Stone's own drawings.

The idea of the story is a good idea by Picoult, not something often covered in novels. She really goes into detail with the parties that the teenagers have, and details some of the sexual exploits that go on...even I had not heard of some of them, so they were a bit shocking to me!! To be honest I was quite horrified as I would not do some of those things now at 21, let alone at 14 years old, but I guess it does reflect reality as children do grow up too fast these days.

I did enjoy the story, but was left someone dissatisfied with the ending. Usually with a Picoult novel, most things are tied up at the end through way of a court case so you know how everything is wrapped up, but I didn't feel this was the case in this one. Things are kind of wrapped up, but not in the definite way I have grown to like from Jodi Picoult's books.

You do develop strong opinions on all of the characters, particularly Trixie since it is her that the rape has happened to. I felt sorry for her through the party, rape and exam at the hospital, but I began to lose sympathy as the novel went on, but I don't know why. Picoult has not made her particularly unlikeable yet there was something which made me feel unsympathetic towards her. The controversial topic leaves you thinking about justice for this crime, the effect it has not only on the victim but on the victim's family and the accused's family.

Well written as usual, but didn't have the usual spark of a Picoult novel. Slightly disappointing. I hope Nineteen Minutes, the next Picoult book on my "to-read" shelf is a lot better than this one!

Thank you for reading.

Summary: Good read, but not her best. Try My Sister's Keeper or Plain Truth