If this face, which you'd find in the jacket of her books or the back of her paper covers, doesn't ring a bell, I'll let you in on a personal journey to finding Jodi.
I first knew of her when I was twelve years old, when I found, "My Sister's Keeper."
For those of you who saw the movie, you'll know the basic idea; A family of five faces turmoil when the youngest child, Anna, who was created solely to save her leukemic sister's life, sues for medical emancipation from both her parents, who fight back. What the sole-moviegoers won't know is how much more emotionally riveting the book is.
Since then, I've fallen in love with more and more of her novels. My recent favorite is "Sing You Home."
It's about a musical therapist who falls in love with another woman and wants to use the embryo's from her failed marriage to start a new family. But he ex-husband, who signed over his rights to the embryos but fell into a deep religious faith post-divorce, fights to gain custody of children he doesn't want to keep them from growing in a family he doesn't believe in. What follows is an enticing dramatic case punctuated by original songs (you'll have to look that up) to add to the element of music.
Jodi's style of writing gives us an insight into everyone's perspective; the protagonist's, the antagonist's, the sidekick's, the skeptic's, and everyone in the between. Whether we agree with the perspective or not, we are given a chance to understand the motives of each character. Her writing is a cross between prose and poetry, which has always been my favorite form of writing. It's why I love Toni Morrison so much.
A Picoult novel is the toast to my afternoon tea, the companion in bed on a Lazy Sunday, and the flame under my arms as the weather starts to cool down. You won't regret picking up any of her books:
And here is the link to the author's website: http://jodipicoult.com
Now go check it out, dang it!
-CDM
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