Handle With Care | Teen Ink

Handle With Care

May 24, 2009
By Allison Byrne BRONZE, Park Ridge, Illinois
Allison Byrne BRONZE, Park Ridge, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Handle with Care written by Jodi Picoult is the story of a little girl named Willow O'Keefe living with a disease called osteogenesis imperfecta type III. As a result of this disease Willow breaks her bones very easily. Along with her breaks come medical bills, corrective surgeries, and the expenses for allowing Willow to interact with other kids with osteogenesis imperfecta. Even though Willow will break hundreds of bones as she grows older and will most likely never be able to live alone, the O'Keefe family is happy. That is until they are forced to face a life changing question. If their obstetrician had informed them earlier on in the pregnancy that their baby would be born disabled, would they have had an abortion? Using this argument Charlotte, Willow's mom, could file a wrongful birth lawsuit and possibly win enough money to provide Willow with what ever she needs for the rest of her life. However, if she goes through with the lawsuit she will inevitably lose her best friend, also her obstetrician, break up her family, and face the harsh opinions of others. This heart-wrenching book will keep you asking yourself: who decides when a life is worth living?

The story is written from many different perspectives. There are no chapters, but sections broken up by whose telling the story. The different narrators include Sean O’Keefe, Willow's father, Charlotte O’Keefe, Willow's mother, Amelia O’Keefe, Willow's older sister, Marin Gates, the O'Keefe's lawyer, Piper Reece, Charlotte's best friend and obstetrician, and at the very end, Willow O’Keefe tells us her story. In addition, each part is started with a recipe from Charlotte O'Keefe, who used to be a pastry chef, that somehow relates to the upcoming events. This story is filled with twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages until the end.


 


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This article has 1 comment.


tor10jax GOLD said...
on Jun. 9 2009 at 11:38 pm
tor10jax GOLD, Livingston, New Jersey
10 articles 0 photos 143 comments
I think it was a good book review, though I haven't read the book

Advice: I would write more about what was good and bad about the book besides for how it was "filled with the twists and turns...".