The Storyteller: A Novel by Jodi Picoult

about book:

Some stories live forever...

Sage Singer is a baker.  She works through the night, preparing the day's breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother's death.  When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage's grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship.  Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can't see, and they become companions.

Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried secret - one that nobody else in town would ever suspect - and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor.  If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well.  With her own identity suddenly challenged, and the integrity of the closest friend she's ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she's made about her life and her family.  When does a moral choice become a moral imperative?  And where does one draw the line between punishment and justice, forgiveness and mercy?

In this searingly honest novel, Jodi Picoult gracefully explores the lengths we will go in order to protect our families and to keep the past from dictating the future.

my thoughts:

Interesting premise, fascinating storytelling, and unforgettable characters.  All in all, The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult proved to be a great read.

Sage is a young woman who has a scar on her face that makes her feel immensely insecure - so much so, that she works as a baker (hidden in the kitchen baking all night long) and is having an affair with a married man (the funeral director from her mother's funeral).  This is a woman who does not believe she deserves good things to happen to her.  She is filled with so much guilt regarding her mother's death that she continues to attend a grief support group (three years after her mother's passing.)  Life for Sage is stunted and filled with loneliness.  However, everything changes the day she befriends Josef Weber. 

A recent addition to Sage's grief support group, Weber keeps to himself.  He's an elderly man who frequently visits the bakery Sage works at.  He usually brings his little dog and spends his time writing in a small black notebook.  According to the people in town, Weber is as nice as they come - he was a German teacher at the local high school, a former little league coach, and a real asset to the community.  Except that he really isn't that nice of a man.  In fact, he is the complete opposite of nice - he is cruel beyond belief.  How do we find this out?  Well, one day Josef decides to spill the beans about his past to Sage. And let me just say that his secret is HUGE and one that will completely change Sage forever.

Picoult explores the questions of morality, history, family, friendship and so much more with her book The Storyteller.  She writes a captivating story that is filled with such vividness and authenticity, that you can't help but feel shattered after reading some of the passages in this book.  As for the story that she includes within her story - the one written by Minka (Sage's grandmother) - it is clearly an allegory for the brutal and ugly reality happening to and around Minka.  I have to admit to really enjoying Minka's story - it was so graphic and bloody, but also emotionally compelling.   This novel yanked at my heart strings and pulled me in deep.  I found that I could only read bits of the book at times, because it was just too much to take in (my heart kept breaking).  This is one book that I won't soon forget.

I would definitely recommend The Storyteller to fans of Picoult's works and fans of fiction (specifically, books that deal with WWII).  You will LOVE this book!!!

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

From book flap:

Every life has a soundtrack.  All you have to do is listen.

Music has set the tone for most of Zoe Baxter's life.  There's the melody that reminds her of the summer she spent rubbing baby oil on her stomach in pursuit of the perfect tan.  A dance beat that makes her think of using a fake ID to slip into a nightclub.  A dirge that marked the years she spent trying to get pregnant.

For better or worse, music is the language of memory.  It is also the language of love.

In the aftermath of  a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist.  When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people - even those she loves and trusts most - don't want that to happen.

Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood.  It's about people wanting to do the right thing for the greater good, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams.  And it's about what happens when the outside world brutally calls into question the very thing closest to our hearts: family. 

My thoughts:

Typical Picoult.  Drama based story (topic ripped from headlines) that depends on a court room trial to lead us to the end.  And yet, knowing how formulaic her writing and story lines are, I once again picked up a Picoult book and read it. Will I ever learn? Now don't get me wrong, the book was good - it had solid writing and a good plot. And I did finish reading it in one day, so obviously I was immersed in the story.  However, its the type of book that I compare to beach/airport reads - the books you read, but forget about.  You know what I mean - fluff books.  Picoult's works are fluff reads to me, which sometimes, is just what I need.  And I needed a fluff book, since I wasn't so sure what I wanted to dive into next.

Now, I'm not going to summarize the story and go into any further detail as to how much or how little I liked it.  Instead I wanted to mention Picoult's beef with literary critics.  Apparently, when Franzen's book, Freedom, came out to glowing reviews, Picoult wasn't too happy about it.  She felt that his work was being taken seriously and was receiving oodles of attention, whilst her work was being ignored.  You see, Picoult's books are considered commercial fiction (it's often tagged as women's fiction) and as a result she doesn't receive any literary accolades.  She's financially successful because of her books and they do top bestseller lists, which means that they get read by a lot of people - yet, the literary critics don't exactly give her the kudos they would and have given to Franzen.  And the thing is, according to Picoult, her work focuses on the same themes that the so-called literary authors' works tend to focus on.  So, what is it exactly that separates her work from theirs? She considered it could be a gender issue, which wouldn't really surprise me considering how often women writers and their works are neglected by literary critics.  As someone who majored in both English and Women's Studies, my research has always focused on Chicana literature and Chicana feminism - two genres that are often ignored - so I can understand why Picoult would think her work was being left out (on the gender level).  However, after having read several of her books I can honestly say that it is not about her gender.  I love chick lit and women's lit and commercial fiction and all that jazz, but I don't get the same things from it that I would from a Jean Rhys or Sandra Cisneros novel.  And yes, I do know that chick lit does deal with issues similar to a Jean Rhys book, but the way that Rhys would tackle these issues is on another level compared to the way that Picoult would deal with them.  Honestly, I don't care much for Franzen's work (this is based on my dislike for The Corrections), but I can appreciate his talent as a writer - his work clearly showcases his penchant for storytelling.  As far as Picoult goes, well, her work is solid, but formulaic - it is the epitome of commercial fiction.  Its the type of writing that satisfies you when you need a quick read.  Its not the type of book that will impact you in such a way that it will alter your life.  Nor is it the type of book that blows you away because the writing is beyond good. Its the type of book that if you lend it to a friend and never get it back, you won't get upset about it, because you've already forgotten about the book.  What do you think? Am I right about Picoult's books? Or do you think Picoult's works should be considered literary fiction?  All I know is that after remembering Picoult's complaints about not being taken seriously as a literary writer leaves me wondering why she continues to produce book after book devoted to the same formula (headline news drama, court room trial, happy/unhappy ending).  Why doesn't Picoult try to produce quality instead of quantity?

Anyhow, I'm off to read something new.  Good riddance to Picoult (I must stop reading her work, its like a bad habit).

SALEM FALLS BY JODI PICOULT

I read this book before re-reading the Twilight series and forgot to review it. I think the reason was that I didn't really care all that much for the book. There were some aspects that I found sort of interesting, but overall, the book was just another Picoult book that fell short. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult tells the story of a teacher who is wrongly accused of having a relationship with one of his students and winds up losing his job and friends and lands himself in jail. After being released from prison, he decides to start a new life in a new town, which happens to be Salem Falls. Once there he becomes a dishwasher at the local diner and befriends some co-workers. However, news of his past reaches the town and soon he is being bullied by the townspeople. He even winds up getting accused of attacking another young girl and once again find himself standing trial. During all of this, he falls in love with his boss, who decides to find out for herself what type of man she has chosen to be with. In the end, he is found not guilty and the dirty secrets of Salem Falls remain a secret. There are side stories that interlock with the main plot line, but none of them truly stand out as exceptional, but merely cliched. The writing is solid and the characters are drawn out clearly, but the tone of the story never really feels settled and instead veers off into various directions. Once again, I have been disappointed by Picoult. Why do I keep reading her books? I keep getting suckered into these plot summaries which sound so interesting that I am convinced I am on to a winner, but then I read the book and wind up cursing myself for wasting my time. UGH! Well, no more Picoult for me. At least not for quite some time. Instead, I am going to finish my Wodehouse book and move ahead with reading either Her Fearful Symmetry or Under the Dome. I'm banking on 2010 to be a fab reading year. Cheers to you all!! And Happy Reading in 2010!!

The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult

I finally finished reading The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult and boy am I glad it is over with! I've always thought that Picoult's books are either hit or miss and this book proves to be a huge MISS! What we have is a book that deals with date rape, a father/daughter relationship, identity issues, infidelity, friendship and loyalty and so much more packed into a mishmash of flashbacks, comic book pages, and the revelation of what happened to Jason Underhill (the rapist). All of these topics alone make for a great novel, but Picoult just does not seem to get the recipe right. Its hard to describe what exactly she gets wrong in the story. The writing is good and the idea of inserting Daniel's comic, Wildclaw, into the book seems an interesting move - however I found it to be annoying and distracting. And no I didn't comb through the comic to find out what the hidden message is (apparently Picoult inserted a hidden message throughout the comic and you can go to her site to find out if you are right). As for the characters - what a disappointment! I found them to be trite and completely unsympathetic and therefore I could not muster an ounce of interest in any of them. I honestly had to make myself finish the book and even then I had to skim over the comics and some sections of the book that just bored me.
I don't really even care to talk about the book anymore, but I suppose I should provide some sort of summary, so here goes: Trixie Stone is date raped at a friend's party and the only people that believe her, are her parents. The entire town believes that Jason Underhill is innocent and that Trixie cried rape because she regretted having sex with Jason. Her parents, David and Laura, are having marital problems of their own - Laura has been having an affair with one of her graduate students. The cops believe that Jason is innocent, but continue to investigate the rape case, until Jason is found dead beneath a bridge. At first glance it appears to have been a suicide, but the more evidence that appears, it is soon apparent that Jason Underhill was not alone at the bridge and that someone pushed him over. David admits to fighting with Jason the night of his death, but does not confess to murder. Trixie is tired of everything going on at home so she runs away to Alaska (where David is originally from). Laura and David slowly begin to communicate again and find themselves searching for their daughter and praying she is safe. The detectives decide to follow the parents, believing they will be lead them to Trixie (whom they now believe to be behind Jason's murder). In Alaska, David confronts his past and is reunited with his family. The police arrest Trixie for Jason's murder and David confesses to the murder. Laura also confesses to the murder. In the end we find out that Laura was on the bridge that night and that Jason fell over the bridge and she tried to help him up, but wound up letting go of his hand. The end.
Okay, so that is over with. The only benefit from reading the Picoult book is that I can use it to cross another one off of the Clear Off Your Shelves reading challenge and the Fall/Winter Challenge - so, yay me!! Now, I can finish reading The Lace Reader. I still haven't finished S&S&Sea Monsters or In The Woods - truthfully, I'm just not into them at the moment, so, I suppose I will finish them whenever I get to them again. As for the 100 Mile Fitness Challenge - lets just say that I am a tad behind on my miles. I'm hoping to make them up this week!!
Ta for now and Happy Reading!!!

Handle With Care - Jodi Picoult

Just finished reading Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult and boy was I left with tears in my eyes. What is it about Picoult's books? Are they all tearjerkers? Well, let's get to it. Handle With Care tells the story of Willow O'Keefe, a five year old girl born with OI type III (osteogenesis imperfecta aka brittle bone disease). What this means is that Willow will suffer from up to one hundred bone breaks in her lifetime, along with several other severe health complications. Her bones are so brittle that a simple move, like rolling over in her sleep could cause a break, which means that Willow's mom, Charlotte, is constantly on call, waiting to hear a break so that she can rush her daughter to the hospital. All of this devoted parenting comes at a price: preteen daughter Amelia feels neglected, husband Sean feels as if Charlotte believes only she knows how to take care of Willow and is therefore the better parent, their house is falling apart and the fridge is bare and the bills keep on coming and so do the problems. And so, when out of the blue the O'Keefe family are finally able to take a vacation to Disney, spirits are high and worries are cast aside for the time being. Amelia and Willow are overjoyed - finally, a trip that promises to be fun! Of course, things do not always go as planned during vacations. While buying ice cream the O'Keefe's family fun turns into a family nightmare. Willow falls and bones break and a trip to the hospital finds Sean and Charlotte under arrest for child abuse and Amelia being led away to foster care. Without a letter from their doctor, Sean and Charlotte have no proof that Willow is an OI child and therefore cannot prove that those breaks are not the result of child abuse. Charlotte's friend and OB-GYN, Piper Reece, saves the day when she is able to get through to the doctor and get a confirmation of Willow's medical condition to the police. The O'Keefe's are released and reunited with their children. The nightmare is over. However, Sean feels as if the police and Disney treated his family horribly and he wants to sue. He takes his family to meet with a lawyer who promptly tells him that each party involved was just doing their job and that a lawsuit is moot. However, he does provide the O'Keefes with a different type of lawsuit which could possibly net them a huge amount of money that could ensure Willow will have the best medical care for the rest of her life. Two words: Wrongful Birth. What this means is that, if Piper Reece had told Charlotte at her 18 week sonogram that Willow would be OI type III, Charlotte would have had the option to abort the fetus. However, Charlotte did not find out about Willow's OI prognosis until her 27 week sonogram and by then, she was determined to carry through with the pregnancy. Sean is horrified by the lawyer's suggestion to sue for wrongful birth and fiercely declares that he loves Willow and would never have even considered having her aborted. Charlotte, on the other hand, is intrigued by this new proposition and begins to fantasize about all of the money that could be won from this suit and how they would all finally be able to breathe better knowing that Willow's medical treatments would all be paid for. Without telling Sean, Charlotte goes ahead and talks with the lawyer and proceeds to sue her best friend Piper for malpractice. This action alone sets into motion so many heartbreaking events - Sean decides to leave Charlotte and files for divorce; Piper and Charlotte are no longer best friends; Amelia is abandoned by her family and only friend Emma and so she turns to bulimia and cutting as a way of coping with her loneliness/depression; Willow hears her mother admit that she wishes she had never been born; Charlotte questions her mothering skills and devotion to her family; Piper leaves her medical practice, etc. Its amazing how one action can cause so many reactions from so many people. The book takes us through the trial and shows us how each person is emotionally broken and the ways in which they choose to handle their breaks. In the end, Charlotte wins her case and receives a huge settlement in the millions - money that will last Willow and her family for quite some time. We find out that Sean and Charlotte still love each other and decide not to get divorced. Amelia gets help for her self-harming issues and turns to painting. And Willow, well, we finally get to read what Willow's thoughts are on this whole lawsuit, the money, her family, etc. Its quite sad actually, what happens in the end and Willow's final thoughts. Its always sad to read about a family that is torn apart and how in the end they will continue to be torn apart. All in all, a good book that makes you cry and think about family, genetics, disabilities, health care, and so much more. I think I will take a break from Picoult - enough crying for now. I'm off to read 84, Charing Cross Road. Happy reading!!

My Sister's Keeper

I cried. The ending made me cry. What a book. It was intriguing and kept me wanting more. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult is such an emotionally charged book that raises so many questions about family, love, sisterhood and so much more. We have the story of Kate and Anna. Kate is a 16 year old APL (leukemia) patient who has endured several painful procedures, surgeries, medicines, etc. in order to stay alive. Anna is 13 years old and is Kate's younger sister who has provided the blood, platelets, bone marrow, umbilical chord blood, etc in order to help keep Kate alive. Both sisters love each other dearly and want nothing but the best for each other, but both have secret desires: Kate no longer wants to endure anymore medical procedures and just wants to live as she is; Anna no longer wants to provide any of her body parts to Kate and wants to be free of these expectations from her family (that she is supposed to give Kate her kidney because that is her sister and that is what you do, especially when you are the perfect match). So begins the story of Anna filing for emancipation from her parents in order to obtain the rights to her own body with regards to medical procedures/decisions. Shocked by their younger daughter's actions, Sara and Brian are swept away in a tug of war between what to do, who to listen to and how to handle the situation. Both parents settle on doing things differently; Sara chooses to believe that Anna merely wants attention and that is why she decided to file this lawsuit, whilst Brian believes that it is time to listen to what Anna wants and accept that maybe it is time to stop expecting Anna to donate so much of herself to Kate. We also have Jesse, Anna and Kate's brother, who seems to have a penchant for getting into trouble. All in all a family breaking apart at the seams, which typically ensures a good read. And let me tell you, it was indeed a good read. Picoult has created a wonderful cast of characters, a heartbreaking storyline and an ending that made me weep! I suppose this Picoult book makes up for The Pact (a book I did not like), which means that I will definitely read more of her work. For now though I must move on to something a bit more Halloweenish for the R.I.P. Challenge. I was going to read Tana French's In The Woods, but truth be told I just cannot get into the book - the writing is bad and so I just cannot bear to read anymore of it. Ugh! I think I will have to put that book in my bookmooch inventory. Oh well. Perhaps I should read Dracula or some Poe. Hmmm. Not sure. I'll figure it out. Anyhow, must get back to work. Hope everyone is having a fab week! Happy reading!!!

The Pact

Just finished reading this Picoult book and am not sure how I really feel about it. The Pact is called a love story, and centers on two teenagers, Emily and Chris. Both children and their families have been friends with each other for about 18 years (since the Golds (Emily's family) moved in next door to the Hartes(Chris' family) ). Each family has watched this young couple grow into each other and become completely attached to one another in a way that expands beyond young love. However, both families are devastated by a phone call they each receive in the middle of the night concerning their children. Once at the hospital, the Golds find out that their daughter Emily is dead and the Harte's find their son to be the remaining survivor of a suicide pact. Soon we are thrust into the middle of an investigation into the murder of Emily Gold and the trial of Chris Harte. Along the way we flash back to moments from the past that show us the types of people that Chris and Emily have grown up to be and the ways in which their undying love towards one another has affected their lives. The parents of both children are at a loss to comprehend how this idea of suicide could even have been entertained by their children. Clinging to the past and what they believe to be true, both sets of parents attempt to deal with the grief of their losses (Emily, friendship, family, marriage, etc.) in their own ways. In the end we find out that Emily was sexually abused as a child and that her feelings towards Chris were love, but more like sister/brother love. She did not want to marry Chris and be with him in such an intimate way any longer and longed for freedom. However, upon finding out she is pregnant she decides that the only way to handle the situation is to commit suicide (so that she can escape from her unhappy life). Emily gets Chris to agree to borrow one of his father's guns and to be there with her when she ends her life - Chris agrees to do as Emily wishes, in the hopes of stopping her from killing herself. In the end Chris realizes that Emily's pain is too much for her to bear and so he decides that he will help her by pulling the trigger, yet he cannot bring himself to do it and so Emily presses her fingers atop of Chris' and the gun goes off and she dies, while he faints away. Chris is found not guilty and is released from prison. The Gold's move away and the Harte's remain a family. Emily of course remains in Chris' heart. The End. Okay, so it sounds like an interesting read, but for some reason I just can't place it as a good read. The Pact is filled with serious issues that are heartbreaking to read about and Picoult does a fine job addressing them. The writing is simple and the plot engrossing. However, I'm feeling mixed about this book - part of me likes it, but another part of me can't quite grasp what about it I liked. Oh well, I'll chalk it up to another book off of my TBR list and get on with my reading.
For a lighter read I am now about 1/4 way through Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella and I'll be picking up Sense and Sensibility afterward. Must get on with those challenges. Until the next post - Happy Reading!!

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Last night I finished the book Nineteen Minutes. It took me nearly two days to read the book because I wanted to take my time with it and wrap my head around the story. The book is about a high school kid, Peter, who has been bullied his entire life and who one day wakes up and decides to take matter into his own hands: kill the bullies. The format of the book consists of chapters which jump back and forth between years/months/days prior to the shooting and months, days following the shooting. We learn about several characters, each of who have been severely affected by the horrific events of that day and all of who have some sort of connection with the shooter, Peter. Through these characters we learn about their lives and we learn about Peter. We find out that Peter was bullied by his school mates, we learn that he was struggling to discover his sexuality, we learn that he loved one of his classmates, we learn about the humiliation he experienced on a daily basis (getting shoved into his locker, being pantsed in the cafeteria, getting called names and beat up), we find out Peter had a passion for computers/computer games and we learn how scared and alone Peter felt growing up. Of course, we learn that Peter was not the only kid to be bullied at school, and so we struggle with "why" - why did he choose to kill his classmates, why did he want to die, why did he feel as if this was his only answer to his problems, why could he not talk to his mother or father, why? We also wonder, why did these kids choose to humiliate Peter every day (more so than any other kid they picked on), why did the school administrators standby and allow this type of bullying behavior to persist, what could the parents have done differently to help their son Peter? How could they not have noticed that he was unhappy or that he was hoarding weapons in his room? The book shows us how his parents felt towards Peter and themselves before and after the shooting. We read about them questiong their roles as parents and whether they could have done more to prevent Peter's actions. We read about his old childhood friend Josie and how she used to stick up for Peter and how she loved spending time with him. But then we learn that Josie no longer wanted to only have one friend and how she wanted to belong to the "in" crowd at school and so she chose to stop talking to Peter. We read about pain, loss, love, death and unhappiness and are left with so many questions. This book is relevant in today's society because of the fact that these types of events have occurred at our schools and because bullying has become national news and a part of our headlines. I think this book is a great read because it opens our minds about all of the people affected by such an event and also because it inspires dialogue about an issue within our schools that needs to be addressed today. We need to remember that words can and do hurt more than sticks and stones.