My Sister’s Keeper… What a book! I had to type this blog entry exactly 35 minutes after finishing this book because once more, Jodi Picoult has stunned me. Is it funny that I will not just buy her books on my own, but tend to have them loaned to me? This time I made a swap with a good friend giving up my Steig Larsson trilogy for two of her Picoult books she had read over this past summer. Why did it take me so long to read this book? Why did it take me until now, the end of December, to sit down and read? I will tell you why…
Jodi Picoult has a way of letting her readers into the minds of all of her characters. You hear the story told from many perspectives so that you are able to form your own opinions about the characters, as you hear from them each in first person narration. It can take some time to get used to as a reader, as most novels are told from one perspective, yet as each story unfolds you find a certain character you can relate to and sympathize with on many levels. My Sister’s Keeper is a book that tugs at your heart and makes you wonder, what really is the right decision for Anna?
You have the story of a family, the Fitzgeralds, who spend the course of 14 years in and out of hospitals as their eldest daughter, Kate, battles a rare form of leukemia, depending heavily on her younger sister Anna, a genetically engineered sibling, with the exact DNA as Kate. Just as you begin to side with Anna, you feel for Kate and long for her to lead a “normal, healthy” life. Furthermore you question Campbell Alexander, the attorney Anna has chosen to help her receive medical emancipation, allowing her to make all decisions regarding her health and medical care, as he totes around a service dog, but for what reason? You read about an ever growing divide between Sara and Brian Fitzgerald, the legal guardians and parents of the children. Not to mention, you watch Jesse, the Fitzgerald’s son, self-destruct as he searches to find a meaning for his life and existence in a family where most actions revolve around Kate’s health.
I can’t recommend this book, because I know that it will rip at the heart of anyone who reads it. I can tell you, it is a well written book (slow at times, but that seems common in Picoult books as the plot has to thicken first) and you will need to be certain to set aside time to be engrossed in this book, taking only a few breaks when Kleenex is necessary.
Will I watch this movie? That has yet to be determined… Perhaps on a day when I feel like having a good, cleansing cry! Here's the trailer that came out in 2009 via YouTube.
