My Sister's Keeper: A Book Review

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult is a captivating novel. Picoult is able to balance the right amounts of drama, suspense, and sincerity to keep the reader guessing what happens next. I completed the book in less than one week. For those of you that haven't read My Sister's Keeper, I won't ruin the book for you, but here's the basic plotline (which is explained on the back cover of the book as well).

Anna has always been defined in terms of her sister, Kate. After all, that's why she was born--to save her sister's life. You see, Anna is perfect genetic match for Kate who suffers for APL, a severe form of leukemia. Thirteen-year-old Anna has reached the juncture in her life where she begins to embark on the journey of self-definition. She no longer wants to be defined in terms of her sixteen-year-old sister, so she decides to sue her parents for medical emancipation, or control over her own body. Anna's decision to file the suit puts the family into moral and ethical dilemmas. To say the least, this is quite a book and well worth a read in my opinion.

Picoult writes the book in the voice of every character. Each chapter is told by a different character in the book ranging from Anna herself, to Sara (Anna's mother), Brian (Anna's father), Campbell (Anna's lawyer), Julia (Anna's guardian ad litem), Jesse (Anna's brother), and Kate (Anna's sister). Picoult is able to give each character a distinct voice which isn't easy to do. She is able to craft the story line evenly, but has mastered the talent of writing in past memories for each of the characters. The story moves along smoothly despite the voice (or narrator) of the story keeps switching. Picoult also has a great talent for writing in the minute details that we never appreciate, or rather are too busy too see.

As I was reading this book, I kept thinking to myself who has not wanted to sue their parents at one time or another? The thing is that probably most people wouldn't have the strength to do it even if they were undoubtedly confident in their decision. That is what makes Anna's character so complex. She is thirteen years old and making such adult decisions. Of course, given the circumstances of her conception and her development, she was thrown into the adult world at a very early age. The contrast between knowing what you want and knowing what someone else needs is very prominent in My Sister's Keeper.

The second theme that kept coming to mind as I read on was the nature of loss. Throughout the book, the entire Fitzgerald family is waiting for the other shoe to drop--for Kate to die because of her APL. Their lives are defined by this state of being. From the perspective of a parent, I can only imagine the thought f of losing a child. It is a horrible thing. So, in the book, to prevent or deter that loss, Anna's parents had Anna. This is where the ethical dimension of the story comes in. Is it OK to save one child while putting the other at risk when she will receive no benefit from the procedure? Of course, the first thing most people might say is the ultimate benefit is that she gets to keep her sister. This question is examined throughout the novel and it is hard to come to understand who is right or wrong because in a situation like this there is no black and white.

My Sister's Keeper does not disappoint. I will even admit that I shed a few tears toward the end. I would highly recommend this novel to any of my friends. And I definitely plan to read another Jodi Picoult novel in the future. If you'd like to get a copy of the book, or any book for that matter, let me tell you about some really fun, free, and easy ways you can swap books.

The first online swapping website is Book Mooch (www.bookmooch.com). This website is really simple to use and clearcut. Basically, you sign up for an account and then post 10 books that you don't feel the need to hold onto any more. Once you post your 10, you earn a point. You can use that point to contact anyone on Book Mooch to arrange a swap. Now, this doesn't mean that you have to swap your book for theirs. You can swap a book from them and they can swap from someone else. It's a free-for-all. So, you earn points when you swap a book and to get a book you spend those points. It's a great system. The only cost you have to pay is to mail your book to the person who has requested it. That's it. And to ship a book via first class mail (USPS) doesn't cost more than $2.50. Now, that's a bargain when most paperback books are now costing you upwards of $10 bucks. Another great feature of this site is let's say you have a bunch of points you aren't planning to use, you can donate them to charities Book Mooch works with to give books to people who can't afford them. How cool is that?

Another site that I've come across and like is Paperback Swap (www.paperbackswap.com). This site works exactly the same as Book Mooch, all you have to pay is the shipping, but you can also trade CDs and DVDs on this site.

The only caveat I will say to fellow readers out there is don't send your book out into the universe and expect to get it back. If you swap a book, say goodbye, unless you want to swap for it in the future, but then you might not see your book again. The plus side is that any book you really like that you've gotten from someone else is yours to keep if you want. So think of online book swapping like a library without a card and no late fees! Happy reading!