Jodi Picoult’s novel, Handle with Care, is a wonderfully written account of a mother’s desperate cry for help for her sickly child.

Charlotte O’Keefe’s daughter, Willow, was born with a severe bone disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta. With this disease Willow, along with her family, are unable to lead a normal lifestyle. This disease makers her bones extremely brittle and fragile, by the time Willow is five she has already had several surgeries and dozens of broken and healing fractures.

Because of Willow’s condition and medical expenses Charlotte decides to sue her OB/GYN, which also happens to be her best friend, in a legal suit known as “wrongful birth” (which allows a mother to terminate a pregnancy if there is a health issue). With this ethics are questioned, friends are lost, and a family is slowly being torn apart by disagreements and negligence to see what is happening. Charlotte gets so wrapped up in this case her marriage starts to fall apart and her other daughter, Amelia, is slowly losing her way and inflicting self-harm.

This book was masterfully presented, so much so it was able to open my eyes to see how far a mother would go to help her daughter to have the best life possible. It really made me question, “how far would I go to prove a point and receive justice?” It’s the type of book that I was not able to put down until I was done with it because I wanted to know the outcome. There were times where I loved Charlotte’s stance, others when I hated her motives and times where I cried because I could imagine her pain and love. Truly a great book!