Details
Title: My Sister's Keeper
Author: Jodi Picoult
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publication Year: 2005
Publication Year: 2005
Language: English
Genre: Young Adult, Drama, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Rating: 5/10
Continuation: No continuation yet.
Pages: 423
Review
Thirteen-year old Anna Fitzgerald is sick of being poked and prodded. She has undergone countless medical procedures so her older sister Kate can fight the leukemia she has had since age 2. In fact, Anna was genetically engineered so she could be a bone marrow match for her sister. She never challenged her role in this - until now. Anna begins to wonder who she truly is. In the process of separating herself from her sister, she makes decisions which could tear the family apart and affect her sister fatally.
She goes to a lawyer, Alexander Campbell, to medically emancipate herself from her parents. Her social worker, Julia, has some interesting drama with Mr. Campbell.
She goes to a lawyer, Alexander Campbell, to medically emancipate herself from her parents. Her social worker, Julia, has some interesting drama with Mr. Campbell.
**This review contains several spoilers**
Where do I start on this? This novel had an interesting premise. Reading the blurb got me extremely excited to dig right in. Did the book live up to its expectations? I'd say not. Part of the reason I was disappointed was the fact that I had heard several people raving about this book and expected a lot more.
I found that while detailed and descriptive, the book contained way too many gruesome details about the medical procedures. I found this aspect of the novel extremely depressing. The whole concept of having another child just to provide for your sick daughter very sickening. This said, I also have to commend Picoult on having the courage to approach such a controversial issue.
Picoult's dialogue in the novel is extremely impressive. Her knack with language and her crafty use of words makes up for some of the book's downfalls. This said, I also find that her style of writing is very cliched. Each chapter ends with some sort of profound statement or revelation which, frankly, is too sappy for my taste.
The saving grace of this book is the romantic sub-plot between Anna' lawyer, Alexander Cambell and her social worker, Julia. I am a sucker for romance and the romance in this novel plays a crucial role in lifting the otherwise depressing tone in the novel. I also find that the light suspense Picoult builds about the reason behind Campbell's guard dog quite interesting. It's one of the reasons I stuck with the book through to the end.
Another exasperating aspect of the novel is the mother playing favorites. This character was given too much leeway in the novel. The author made a concerted effort to balance the mother's point of view, but I personally felt that her behavior should be reprimanded more often in the novel. She clearly plays favorites, and makes no effort to hide it. She treats Anna like a source for spare parts instead of a child. She stops her from doing the things she loves just so she can get procedures for Kate - here's the interesting part - that have no guarantee of actually helping her. While I personally find this confusing, I understand that Picoult makes an effort to provide both opinions, as to not sound biased. I will give her credit for making an effort to not mold the reader's opinion on this topic.
Now here's the kicker - Anna ends up winning the case against her family, yet conveniently gets into a car accident. She is pronounced brain dead but her kidney is up for grabs. The mother immediately pulls the plug and the kidney, of course, goes to Kate. The girl is then magically cured of the leukemia she has been battling for 16 years and she lives happily with her parents and brother. Is this really a moral Picoult wants to give to the reader? Don't bother fighting for your independence, because you'll never end up winning!? The ending really threw me for a loop and it came out of absolutely nowhere. It is meant to be shocking, but I find that it is way too sudden.
While this book does have an interesting premise and impeccable writing, I will not recommend it unless you're willing to walk around for a week with a grey cloud over your head!
I found that while detailed and descriptive, the book contained way too many gruesome details about the medical procedures. I found this aspect of the novel extremely depressing. The whole concept of having another child just to provide for your sick daughter very sickening. This said, I also have to commend Picoult on having the courage to approach such a controversial issue.
Picoult's dialogue in the novel is extremely impressive. Her knack with language and her crafty use of words makes up for some of the book's downfalls. This said, I also find that her style of writing is very cliched. Each chapter ends with some sort of profound statement or revelation which, frankly, is too sappy for my taste.
The saving grace of this book is the romantic sub-plot between Anna' lawyer, Alexander Cambell and her social worker, Julia. I am a sucker for romance and the romance in this novel plays a crucial role in lifting the otherwise depressing tone in the novel. I also find that the light suspense Picoult builds about the reason behind Campbell's guard dog quite interesting. It's one of the reasons I stuck with the book through to the end.
Another exasperating aspect of the novel is the mother playing favorites. This character was given too much leeway in the novel. The author made a concerted effort to balance the mother's point of view, but I personally felt that her behavior should be reprimanded more often in the novel. She clearly plays favorites, and makes no effort to hide it. She treats Anna like a source for spare parts instead of a child. She stops her from doing the things she loves just so she can get procedures for Kate - here's the interesting part - that have no guarantee of actually helping her. While I personally find this confusing, I understand that Picoult makes an effort to provide both opinions, as to not sound biased. I will give her credit for making an effort to not mold the reader's opinion on this topic.
Now here's the kicker - Anna ends up winning the case against her family, yet conveniently gets into a car accident. She is pronounced brain dead but her kidney is up for grabs. The mother immediately pulls the plug and the kidney, of course, goes to Kate. The girl is then magically cured of the leukemia she has been battling for 16 years and she lives happily with her parents and brother. Is this really a moral Picoult wants to give to the reader? Don't bother fighting for your independence, because you'll never end up winning!? The ending really threw me for a loop and it came out of absolutely nowhere. It is meant to be shocking, but I find that it is way too sudden.
While this book does have an interesting premise and impeccable writing, I will not recommend it unless you're willing to walk around for a week with a grey cloud over your head!
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