In society today, I find it incredibly difficult to find a good novel, written for teenagers, that’s easy to read, and most importantly does not have a plot circling around a romance of some sort. But then, I stumbled upon “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult. And I’m not going to lie, nor am I ashamed to admit, that this book spoke to me in such an in-depth and emotional way, that I did, in fact, cry at several points in this book.
“My Sister’s Keeper” has been described as a “beautifully crafted novel” that will “grab readers with its stunning topic” by People. It “Has the emotional tenacity to fuel tears and talk” according to New York’s Daily News. The Washington Post calls it “a thrill to read”. It circles around family relationships and where each person stands, asking the unanswerable question: “Can a parent love too much? Or is too much never enough?” Sara Fitzgerald is a mother who has more than enough love to give to her kids, but when her oldest daughter, Kate is diagnosed with leukemia, she does everything she can to have her baby girl healthy again. This includes, having another child, Anna, who was born just to save her sister and paying more attention to Kate and Anna than her one and only son, Jesse. But what happens when Anna no longer wants to be a donor for her sister? Where do you stand as a mother? “My Sister’s Keeper” tells this story, but it is not only one of my favorite books because of its unique plot, but because of Jodi Picoult’s exceptional writing quality.
Now the saying goes “There are two sides to every story” and that is exactly what Jodi Picoult does. She writes this story, telling it from each and every character’s point of view, so as the reader, you know exactly what is going on and how each character is feeling and what each character is thinking. What Jodi Picoult does is show the reader that each character has a reason that impels them to make the decision they are going to make. By showing each character’s point of view, you, as the reader, are able to in a sense “pick a side” to the conflict of the plot. In addition, Jodi Picoult’s “judicial language” also adds to the understanding of this complex plot. The story goes into court, and it is in this area, she thrives in writing, in specific details, every aspect of the court room. From the lawyer’s dialogue consisting of many legal terms which she defines clearly, to how each witness behaves in court, Jodi Picoult writes it all. Being a Mock Trial participant I am familiar with the law, but with Jodi Picoult’s writing, I am not only exposed to the law, but also how the law affects a person and how a judge’s verdict changes a person’s life.
Jodi Picoult’s clever writing also goes beyond her “judicial language” but also her sense of metaphorical speaking. For example she has a quote in this book, “There are stars in the night sky that look brighter than the others, and when you look at them through a telescope you realize you are looking at twins. The two stars rotate around each other, sometimes taking nearly a hundred years to do it. They create so much gravitational pull there’s no room around for anything else. You might see a blue star, for example, and realize only later that it has a white dwarf as a companion – that first one shines so bright, by the time you notice the second one, it’s really too late.”In this quote she is telling the relationship between Kate and Anna (the two sisters) and how one truly gets more attention than the other and how it got that way. But she ingeniously hides her meaning behind these words, so that it takes a bit of an understanding of the whole story to truly understand this quote.
In the end, “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult is a written by a brilliant author, and tells a truly unique and touching story that will bring you to tears, and warm your heart. Jodi Picoult is a talented writer whose words have an effect on you that you cannot fully explain. It’s like a spell that keeps your reading until the very end.