I think I may be one of the last people to read this book, but it was worth the wait. I don't even know what the hold up was to begin with... so many books, so little time!
Jodi Picoult is Jen's favorite author, and during one of our regular dinners, she brought this along for me to borrow. I was hesitant to get started, because I assumed it would be so emotionally draining. And while it was sad, the way it was written didn't leave me feeling sorry for anybody.
I think everybody is aware of the main premise: a thirteen-year old has
acted as a donor for her older sister, who is battling a rare form of
leukemia, for all of her life. (In fact, she was genetically "designed"
to be a perfect match.) But now she is wanting to make decisions for
herself, as opposed to having her parents choose for her. I'm usually not keen on books that are written from multiple points of view, but I think that is the only way this can work. There was no confusion, no thoughts of "wait, who is this again?," and it was absolutely crucial to understanding how each character is being affected by this situation.
It really is a heavy subject, and left me wondering "what would I want if I was Anna?" or "what would I do if I were her parents?" With the different points of view, the reader is able to learn about each character on a deeper level; and the smaller stories help the reader escape the burden of cancer. For me, the book was nearly impossible to put down.
This recommendation is a no-brainer for me - read this! (But maybe not on the bus or in the office... you never know when your tear ducts will start working overtime.)
No comments:
Post a Comment