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House Rules

by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 61,112 ratings · 7,081 reviews

When your son can’t look you in the eye . . . does that mean he’s guilty? Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject—forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showin...more

ebook, 544 pages

Published April 1st 2010 by Atria Books (first published March 2nd 2010)

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Dec 27, 2012 Jeanette rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-fiction, domestic-and-relationship-fiction

A good solid 3 1/2 stars

I applaud Jodi Picoult for using her best-selling author position to educate people about Asperger's syndrome. She did extensive research and tried to present as much information as she could within the confines of a novel. At times this effort to educate interrupts the flow of the narrative, but I think she was striving for completeness. House Rules is a sort of "Primer on Asperger's" for people who may not otherwise seek out information on the condition. Picoult gives J...more A good solid 3 1/2 stars

I applaud Jodi Picoult for using her best-selling author position to educate people about Asperger's syndrome. She did extensive research and tried to present as much information as she could within the confines of a novel. At times this effort to educate interrupts the flow of the narrative, but I think she was striving for completeness. House Rules is a sort of "Primer on Asperger's" for people who may not otherwise seek out information on the condition. Picoult gives Jacob every possible symptom of Asperger's in its most extreme manifestation. So of course, Jacob isn't like a real life "aspie" you might meet. He's a composite---the better to help people recognize the various behaviors and behave compassionately toward the person displaying them.

Picoult also very effectively shows the impact on the entire family of a child with special needs. Henry, the absent father who walked out long ago because he couldn't deal with Jacob's situation. Emma, the mother who desperately loves her boy and sacrifices her entire selfhood to maintain Jacob's strict schedule. Theo, the "normal" younger brother who is often invisible to Emma and is treated by his peers as a sort of "freak by association" because of his brother. Jacob's needs always get priority, so Theo is usually left to fend for himself and finds secret ways of acting out to compensate for lack of parental attention.

Don't expect much from the "mystery" itself. If you've read a few Picoult books, you probably do like I do---scoff at the implausibilities and the truly lame stuff, but devour them all the same. The woman can write! I complain a lot about present tense writing, but Picoult is one of the few who can do it so well that I barely even notice it.

There's a lot of great humor in the book, much of it related to Jacob's Asperger behaviors. He's always quoting song lyrics and lines from movies because it helps to calm him or gives him something to say when he doesn't know an appropriate response. And the way he takes everything literally is sometimes hilarious. I never realized how much subtlety we assume in our communications that would be lost on a totally literal person. Jacob's attorney tells him to "pass me a note" if he needs a sensory break. So Jacob hands him a piece of paper that says "F#"(F sharp). Literally, a "note"!

I hope I've focused on the things Ms. Picoult did RIGHT, because this is a worthy book on a timely subject, and I really liked the characters. There were places where I was laughing and crying for them at the same time.

The thing Picoult did WRONG is the reason I can't go up to four stars. The ending sucketh! Big time. It felt like a huge cop-out and I don't understand what she was thinking. Don't we at least deserve an epilogue after we've invested so much in the characters? It's as if she said, "Okay, I've told you all you need to know about Asperger's syndrome, so I'm outta here."

(less)

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Apr 22, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Becky by: Jess

Shelves: library, real-life-bookclub, reviewed, mystery-and-thrillers, highly-recommended, 2012, challenge-1010

Confession time: I had no intention of ever reading a Jodi Picoult book. To me, her books were pretty much equivalent to Nicholas Sparks' books.* Formula: Mix one part "issue" with one part "sap" and one part "luuuuuurve", then swallow. If nausea occurs, try Pepto to keep it down.

*Sparks' books are still ones that I have no intention of ever reading. I watched 'A Walk to Remember' and 'The Notebook'. That's enough for one lifetime. There's like 50 movies based on his books now or something, an...more Confession time: I had no intention of ever reading a Jodi Picoult book. To me, her books were pretty much equivalent to Nicholas Sparks' books.* Formula: Mix one part "issue" with one part "sap" and one part "luuuuuurve", then swallow. If nausea occurs, try Pepto to keep it down.

*Sparks' books are still ones that I have no intention of ever reading. I watched 'A Walk to Remember' and 'The Notebook'. That's enough for one lifetime. There's like 50 movies based on his books now or something, and you know they're scraping the bottom of the barrel when Miley Cyrus is the best they can get to ~~star~~ ~~act~~ be filmed in one. *shudder*

So when this was chosen for my bookclub, I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, and prepared myself to be reticent at the next meeting.

Aside from that, I was worried about the portrayal of a teen with Asperger's Syndrome, particularly because the only other book that I've read with an autistic character was very disappointing for me. I couldn't help but mentally compare the two books, and my opinion of that other book was constantly reinforced: it just lacked substance, depth. It was just mediocre. House Rules was anything but mediocre. It was interesting, insightful, informative and fulfilling.

I'm no Asperger's expert, but I thought that the book worked on many different levels at portraying not only the thought processes and behaviors of one who has it, but also of everyone that is affected by it. I felt that Picoult did her homework, and that she presented the traits, and possible causality, fairly and honestly. There are perspectives on whether heredity, or immunizations, or just randomness cause autism to develop, and I liked and appreciated that it was not treated as an excuse to demonize vaccines.

I particularly empathized with Emma and Theo. Their perspectives were so raw and honest that I couldn't help but love them for it. Emma's raised two sons on her own for 15 years - something that is hard enough without throwing autism into the mix. Her whole life has centered around it. She's done everything in her power to give him the best life she can, and if she suffers for it, that's just part of the job.

There were points in Theo's chapters where he'd be thinking something that an outsider would think is horrible, and even berating himself for it, and I would just sit there commending him for the things he didn't say. For example:

"True confession number four: I don't sit around thinking about having kids, normally, but when I do it scares the shit out of me. What if my own son winds up being like Jacob? I’ve already spent my whole childhood dealing with autism; I don’t know if I can handle doing it for the rest of my life."

This is a superficially selfish thought, yes, but then I read the subtext to be that he's assuming he'd be around to take care of any kid of his who has autism. He'd stick it out, not leave like his own father did. He'd try to do the right thing, even if he doubts his abilities to do it. It makes me proud of him, and sad for him, at the same time. Because he's lived on the sidelines of autism for his whole life already. His childhood was constantly colored by the routines and the contingencies and the chaos of his brother's condition. To never have "normality" would have to be a terrifying, daunting thought.

Regarding the mystery aspect, I pegged it pretty quickly - about 30% in. All the clues were there, and it wasn't hard to figure out. But I was still interested to see if I was right, or if there would be some twist, other than the one I predicted, to shock me. I kept being a little frustrated with the investigation too. This kid is extremely literal, and extremely honest. Why did nobody think to just ask him directly? I guess I understand why, honestly, but it was still kind of frustrating. And so for that, I knocked off a star. But the rest of the story, the personal and familial aspects, were fantastic. I loved it.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable book, and I will probably be picking up more of Picoult's books now that I know they aren't likely to be tapped for maple syrup anytime soon. ;)(less)

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Apr 23, 2010 Sarah Rosenberger rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Painfully obvious and predictable and filled with so much repetitive exposition about Asperger's Syndrome that it ultimately made me feel like i was being lectured by someone who has it and would not take the hint that I understood them the first time and get the freaking point okay??? Very disappointing.

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Sep 10, 2011 Lormac rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jodi Picoult is far from my favorite author, so all you Picoultites out there, you might as well skip this review. I am interested in stories about people on the autistic spectrum with Asperger behaviors, so I thought I would give this one a try. Sigh. I should have known better. In Ms. Picoult's heavy-handed hands, the behavior of the protagonist with Aspergers is exaggerated and twisted simply for the benefit of the plot. Eating only foods of a certain color, but on different days, is not trad...more Jodi Picoult is far from my favorite author, so all you Picoultites out there, you might as well skip this review. I am interested in stories about people on the autistic spectrum with Asperger behaviors, so I thought I would give this one a try. Sigh. I should have known better. In Ms. Picoult's heavy-handed hands, the behavior of the protagonist with Aspergers is exaggerated and twisted simply for the benefit of the plot. Eating only foods of a certain color, but on different days, is not traditionally Aspergerian - maybe eating foods of the same color - but not blue food on Tuesday, yellow on Saturday, etc. etc. At one point, the protagonist re-orders some CDs that have fallen in alphabetical order, but children with Aspergers do not usually have a need to order everything they come across - if they have never seen it before and it is not within their area of fixation, they are more likely not to notice the disorder, or if they notice it, to ignore it. But because this is a plot point, suddenly it becomes a symptom of Aspergers. Further I have never read anywhere that Aspergers is a genetic disorder - but in this novel there is a clear implication that this is the case.

And then we have the usual stuff that drives me absolutely CRAZY which is having the characters behave in ways that no one else in the world would do. For example, imagine yourself a mother with a son who has Aspergers and is on trial for murder, and that child has meltdowns whenever things go out of his routine so he is now regularly having meltdowns due to the pressure of the trial. Now imagine it is three a.m. on a February night in Vermont. Would you leave your son, run (yes, you heard me - run) across town to the office of your son's lawyer who has never shown an overt sexual interest in you, and have sex with him? Somehow I think most of us would be trying to get a good night's sleep, not catch pneumonia, and maintain a professional relationship with this man. That is why we will never be Picoult characters.

Now, imagine yourself the defense attorney,and you have just heard at least three witnesses explain how Asperger children answer questions extremely literally (such as tossing a tent at you if you asked them to 'pitch a tent'). Do you think that you would ask your client a question like "Were you sorry you killed the girl?" No, because if the Aspergerian witness did not kill the girl, he would simply answer "No" since he hadn't killed her and therefore could not be sorry that he had done so. Sigh.

Remind me not to try Picoult again.(less)

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May 23, 2010 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fiction

House Rules delivers everything Picoult fans have come to expect: controversy, multiple perspectives, a legal conflict, etc. Though formulaic, it does not disappoint. Jacob, the Asperger’s afflicted teenager provides the most intriguing point of view. Extremely bright, but lacking in social and communications skills, he attempts to define the way his mind works and his attempts to relate to people. His mother Emma and his brother Theo have struggled to cope with his disability, but when he is ar...more

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Mar 17, 2010 ConnieK rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 18, 2011 Cass rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, books-i-own

I have to confess to being a closet Jodi Picoult fan. I am as much surprised as you! She caught me unawares one night after downloading a sample chapter on my iPhone. I blame the time of the night, I blame my daughter for not sleeping, I blame the Picoult for being able to convert me with a single chapter. Picoult writes books that do indeed draw the reader in right from chapter one. House Rules is the second book of hers that I have read and both books kept me up all night reading them.

House Ru...more I have to confess to being a closet Jodi Picoult fan. I am as much surprised as you! She caught me unawares one night after downloading a sample chapter on my iPhone. I blame the time of the night, I blame my daughter for not sleeping, I blame the Picoult for being able to convert me with a single chapter. Picoult writes books that do indeed draw the reader in right from chapter one. House Rules is the second book of hers that I have read and both books kept me up all night reading them.

House Rules tells the story of an Autistic boy (actually Aspergers Syndrome) fascinated with crime scenes. It tells the story of police brutality due to refusal to allow for needs due to this disorder. It tells the story of a family torn apart by a young man who cannot help but behave the way he does.

If I have one complaint about her writing it is the way she finishes her books. They never wrap up the parts of the story that she has taught you to care about. I don't mean that the book is written in such a way as to leave the reader wondering what possibilities might occur, I am talking about secondary characters and secondary storylines that just need better conclusions. For example, Picoult lets us grow close and feel the pain and injustice of the younger brother in this book. We hurt for him, we understand how unfair it is, we want to know how it ends for him. I wonder if Picoult thought her conclusion was enough to heal a lifetime of injustices, but I don't think it was, I wanted more understanding and more repentance.

On a more political note, and commenting as an open minded parent. I found the explanation of the possibility of link between autism and vaccinations. The mother explained both sides of the debate and made the simple comment that is often overlooked, that while science may support one belief, anecdotal evidence can be enough to make a mother wonder. In this book the mother supported delayed vaccination (the vaccination of children on a slightly prolonged schedule to allow the child to be slightly older when receiving certain vaccinations) but also believed in the possibility of link between autism and vaccinations (due to a Mercury based compound used in vaccinations over a decade ago). I found it a very balanced argument. (less)

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Aug 06, 2011 Carolyn Gerk rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't know why I do this to myself. I picked this book up because someone who read it and didn't want to keep it gave it away (thus, it was free). I wanted to read something that would be a breeze ( I have read Picoult before and find her writing style easy to fly through). However, having read Picoult before, I should have remembered that she keeps writing the same damn book!
Yes, family in crisis, insert court case, insert forgotten sibling with bigger problems than others realize, insert one...more I don't know why I do this to myself. I picked this book up because someone who read it and didn't want to keep it gave it away (thus, it was free). I wanted to read something that would be a breeze ( I have read Picoult before and find her writing style easy to fly through). However, having read Picoult before, I should have remembered that she keeps writing the same damn book!
Yes, family in crisis, insert court case, insert forgotten sibling with bigger problems than others realize, insert one sibling taking the fall for another, insert catty lawyer with dog.....etc etc etc. Hey, is this My Sister's Keeper or what?
Anyway, it took about twenty minutes to figure out what had happened in this murder 'mystery', but I kept fooling myself thinking that there must be some twist I didn't expect. And, after so very many descriptions of Asperger's traits, including the fact that the main character, an 'Aspie' needs to be spoken to very directly and literally, how could Picoult string us along chapter after chapter after chapter as people in Jacob's life continually phrase questions in such a way that he is not forced to explain what happened?? Not to mention the fact that , as a person with Asperger's Jacob would have difficulty with turns of phrase, such as, 'get the picture' and 'what do you say?'. And yet, Picoult continually tosses in phrases that seem to stray pretty far from the literal speech you would expect Jacob to use. One of the first that I noticed was when Jacob mentions the Pythagorean theorem and how it was developed not by him, but by his ancestors.....before he was even 'a seductive twinkle in their eye'. Sounds like something of an odd turn of phrase to me. This happens on a number of occasions and I began to feel irritated by some of the narrative, thinking, this doesn't sound like something this kid should say.
She seemed to flip flop on a lot of her 'symptoms'. Now, if Jacob had been consistently, painfully literal, it may have made for a really dull six hundred pages, but maybe, just maybe, it didn't need to be six hundred pages.
Somehow, Jacob's mother, who shoves her knowledge of Autism and Aspergers down the throats of everyone involved, never thinks that she should ask her son literal step by step questions about what went on the day he allegedly murdered his tutor.
Pfft, yeah right. That alone made this whole novel ridiculous. Filled with a whole bunch of turmoil, angst, and wondering: how did my son do this? How did my brother murder this girl? How did this happen.....but never asking the kid who has already been identified as rather incapable of lying.
The only reason this even gets two stars is because Jacob's story revolving around his treatment and his normal, high school life interested me. I have researched Autism and Asperger's and have worked with children and adults with high and low functioning autism. Jacob was really the only character in this novel who had an excuse to make the mistakes presented. I pretty much wanted to punch every other character in the head.
Wheeeeew. Rage complete. Good bye Jodi Picoult, this is the last time I will waste time on another one of your cookie cutter family crime dramas.(less)

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Feb 01, 2011 Barb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-american

House Rules has everything I look for in good fiction. It's a superb, character-driven story that made me laugh, made me cry, and kept me intrigued until the very end. As with other Jodi Picoult novels, the author's extensive research allowed me to learn a great deal about a particular topic, in this case both autism (specifically Asperger's) and forensic science.

Many people criticize this book as being highly predictable. I disagree, mainly because I don't view it as a murder mystery. The auth...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Nic rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bestseller, realistic-fiction, well-known-authors, chick-lit

I grabbed this book on a whim at the book store because I have some experience with people with Asperger's and the premise sounded interesting. When I got home and actually looked up other Jodi Picoult books, though, I started to get nervous. specifically looking at the reviews for My Sister's Keeper were very controversial. But when I started the book I actually had high hopes for it. The prose is very simple and easy to read (which isn't a sin in my opinion but can actually be a good thing) an...more I grabbed this book on a whim at the book store because I have some experience with people with Asperger's and the premise sounded interesting. When I got home and actually looked up other Jodi Picoult books, though, I started to get nervous. specifically looking at the reviews for My Sister's Keeper were very controversial. But when I started the book I actually had high hopes for it. The prose is very simple and easy to read (which isn't a sin in my opinion but can actually be a good thing) and I felt engaged with what was going on. I was having a pretty pleasant experience about halfway through the novel despite the fact that the tone was sort of dramatic and reminded me of a Hollywood movie or even worse a Lifetime movie. But the dissection of family dynamics with a kid who has special needs was a draw for me because I have personal experience with the issue. Believe it or not living with a sibling who has such severe problems really can be that dramatic and feel that oppressive. It's often complicated, unfair to everyone involved, and produces ugly feelings we don't like to admit we sometimes have. Picoult did portray these feelings in a way that resonated with me.

So to a point the Autistic explanations and anecdotes are interesting. But they get very very repetitive by the end. The book as a whole was far too long. 350 pages could have done the job, I'm sure. And trial was extremely repetitive of all the information that was already presented in many ways about Asperger's. The issue is a dead horse by the end. Also, the focus of the trial just turned into this huge debate on whether or not having Asperger's could lead to someone impulsively committing murder. Which is just not only completely not what should be focused on (like Hello, maybe what actually happened?), but also a stupid, insulting, and contradictory argument to begin with.

One of the things that bugged me the most was no one even bothers to ask Jacob, the boy on trial, what actually happened and why he did the things he did that made him look so guilty. They all just go back in forth in their heads about whether or not he's guilty every time he does/says soemthing suspicious. Why would you not ask a kid who, by the nature of his condition hates lying, to just tell you what freaking happened? And there were other details that just didn't add up. (view spoiler)

I'm not going to lie. I will probably read some other Jodi Picoult books at some point if not soon even though I ultimately found this pretty disappointing. I've read other reviews that indicate the problems I had with this book occur frequently in her writing but it's very easy to digest and sometimes I just want something easy to read even if it's not particularly good. Though I guess I shouldn't judge her based on one book.(less)

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Dec 12, 2011 Lindsay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I give House Rules four out of five stars. I actually liked this one overall more than previous Picoult books that I've read. This one lacked a big plot twist which was a nice change, and it also lacked the "neatly tied up, everyone gets a happy ending" ending that typifies Picoult novels. This one was much more realistic than most (as in, I could actually see it happening without too much eye-rolling) and still had a good story throughout.

The reason I didn't give it five stars was due to the du...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Betsy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: not-what-i-expected, disappointing, predictable

I don't usually like to admit this but I can almost NEVER solve the mystery or crime in a book before the end. This time it was ridiculously easy which actually really disappointed me. I was drawn to the book because I was previously a special education teacher who is now a guidance counselor. I did find the social issue of diagnosis and treatment of a person with Asperger's interesting. It is important to shed more light on this topic. Picoult is a popular author. If a greater awareness of Aspe...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

It’s been too long since I last dived into a Jodi Picoult book and, honestly, I had totally forgotten the quality and the magic of her writing.
I’ve greatly enjoyed reading HOUSE RULES, especially because of the characters; they were likeable and realistically portrayed, and genuinely (but charmingly) flawed. Taking into consideration the seriousness of the subject matter (autism), it was actually a welcome relief to find more self-deprecation and humor in the dialogues. In the past I’ve always...more It’s been too long since I last dived into a Jodi Picoult book and, honestly, I had totally forgotten the quality and the magic of her writing.
I’ve greatly enjoyed reading HOUSE RULES, especially because of the characters; they were likeable and realistically portrayed, and genuinely (but charmingly) flawed. Taking into consideration the seriousness of the subject matter (autism), it was actually a welcome relief to find more self-deprecation and humor in the dialogues. In the past I’ve always found Picoult's books a tad too serious, although totally compelling. One of Jodi Picoult’s trademarks is that she doesn’t back down from tackling subject matters that deeply affect family life –often those topics are extremely sensitive, but all too universal. Surely this author’s greatest appeal and strength is that she knows family life – she lives it, and now more than ever you can detect it in her writing.

Here in HOUSE RULES, contrary to her earlier work, her characters, and especially the teenagers, Theo and Jacob, sounded even truer than life itself. The narration comes down to five characters alternatively moving the story forward - there’s (1) Jacob, the 18 year old, diagnosed with Asperger’s, (2) Theo his 15 year old brother, (3) Emma, the mother of the two teens, (4) Oliver, the inexperienced but very empathic defense attorney, and then there’s (5) Rich, the detective, who investigates the death of Jess Ogilvy, Jacob’s social skills tutor. As this is also a murder story, it’s important to give a voice to the detective who's trying to find out the truth about what happened to Jess.
I learned quite a bit about Asperger’s syndrome, and since all that information was brought to me in such a captivated and easy casual way, it was even more interesting.
I almost forget to mention that I just loved, LOVED Jacob quoting lines from movies as a coping mechanism. When the movie wasn't referred to, I always try to guess the line - Great fun!
The one thing that might’ve held me back attributing a five star to this well-written family drama, was the ending – I thought it needed a little more elaborating once all the facts were revealed. What happens to Jacob after the discovery of his innocence?
Overall this book deserves high praise because it shines a light on young people living with disabilities, and their courageous families.(less)

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Jan 15, 2011 Emily Eponine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm going to say, up front, this book is intense, and made me feel every emotion a person can feel. The lives of those in the Hunt family have never been easy. Jacob's Asperger's Syndrome makes it impossible for him to connect well to others and, sometimes, his tantrums can become violent. He has special accomodations at home, and at school, but those things don't help him when he is accused of murdering his Social Skills tutor, Jess Ogilvy. From there, everything becomes increasingly harder, an...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Judi/Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Asperger's syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests". (This sentence is directly from Wikipedia because I had difficulty summing this explanation up my self.)

Eighteen old Jacob has Asperger's disorder. Emma Hunt is Jacob's doting mother. Theo is Jacob's resentful 15 year old brother, who is Emma's youngest son. They all live in a torrent of emotions day to day, try...more "Asperger's syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests". (This sentence is directly from Wikipedia because I had difficulty summing this explanation up my self.)

Eighteen old Jacob has Asperger's disorder. Emma Hunt is Jacob's doting mother. Theo is Jacob's resentful 15 year old brother, who is Emma's youngest son. They all live in a torrent of emotions day to day, trying to deal with each other. Jesse is Jacob's social skills teacher, who is murdered and because of Jacobs's "tunnel vision" interest in forensics, he finds himself accused of the crime. It was also noted by the police that he was on the scene shortly after it happened. As the interrigation begins, Jacob finds himself, by the police and then by the court, presumed guilty because of his Asperger traits, such as the inability to look anyone in the eye and his other strange behaviors. Emma becomes totally wrapped up in trying to protect Jason from the police and the courts, to the extent of almost completely disregarding Theo. Theo spends most of his time confused about his resentment of his mother and brother and also his love for both of them.

This is a complex story of emotions and it will keep you on the edge waiting to find out what happens to the Hunt family. The reviews on this book seem to be divided between people like me, who knew nothing about Aspergers and liked the book, and those who were associated with Aspergers and didn't like the way Jodi Picoult presented the disorder. I can under stand that maybe some fiction writing doesn't give exact accurate details but I can say from my perspective I learned more about the syndrome than I ever knew. Before, I was just like every else, thinking, when a child is having a major meltdown, Why doesn't the mother or father discipline that child. The book has made me more aware not to prejudge a situation when I don't know the whole story.

Even though I disliked Emma and Jacob, I felt compassion because we all know that the neediest child usually gets most of the attention (as in the squeaky wheel......). Emma ignored Theo and Jacob sucked all the "life" out of every one who came close to him. With Jacob, I never could tell where the Aspergers began and the typically selfish teenager ended. I enjoyed following Jason and his family in their downfalls and triumphs.(less)

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Nov 04, 2010 Gwen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-discussion-group, mystery, disability, autism

Disappointing, predictable, overly repetitive and just not credible! Was this book just dashed off with cursory research and without as much thought as some of her earlier novels? I was expecting much more from Jodi Picoult, especially after re-reading her "Plain Truth," also with courtroom scenes. This book is nowhere near the quality of that book. Nor does it touch the brilliance shown in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" also about a boy with Asperger's Syndrome, which is on...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Meghan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: aatoreq, aa11reqrec

"House Rules" bills itself as a murder mystery with an Asperger's twist, but Picoult brings nothing original to either the mystery genre or books featuring characters on the Autism spectrum.

I would chalk it up to a mindless, predictable read best left for the times a reader is stuck in an airport, except it is so incredibly long that the reader will have the "mystery" solved and be left to slog through 400 more pages. Much too long for a reluctant reader and too boring and predictable for an in...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Hannah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I am only a third of my way through this book, but I am already struggling.
Picoult has once again gone for one of her favourite scenarios, and the repetition has numbed me to the stories.

1) Told from a multitude of perspectives. (Though I don't mind this technique, it does get repetitive).
2) One key character is a parent who one might think would 'know better' (e.g. lawyer, teacher, and in this case, advice columnist) but due to circumstances struggles to cope, thus showing that you can have a...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Kris Hilliard added it · review of another edition

As a mother of a child with autism, I was leery about reading this novel as it's probably every mother's worst nightmare to learn their 'normal' child committed a crime, but for those of us with children who cannot speak for themselves let alone defend their actions it is truly something I fear for him in the future. I know enough of Picoult's writing to know there would be a twist to this story, but really did not expect the way it ended. She clearly did her research learning about Asbergers, P...more

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May 12, 2013 Hannie D rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book. Hmm. I read it mainly due to interest in the subject matter of Asperger's Syndrome, having an autistic sister. I feel the condition was explained well for the most part, although at some points it did interrupt the flow of the novel, and some traits were far too exaggerated (in my opinion) for example how Jacob (who has AS) will only eat foods of a certain colour on particular days.
I spent much of my time just wondering why the mother didn't just talk to Jacob: he's accused of murder...more

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May 01, 2013 Courtney Bristor added it · review of another edition

Jodi Picoult is not only my favorite author but this is my favorite book by her. In this book Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's Syndrome. He is hopeless when it comes to expressing himself to others and social cues. And like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject; in his case, forensic analysis. Thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, he is always showing up to crime scenes trying to tell the professionals what to do, and he's usually right. But when the...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Megan Piero rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-like-a-writer

This book falls into the realistic fiction genre. It is about a young boy with Asperger's syndrome. As many children with a form of Autism do, Jacob has a specialty, solving crimes and forensic science. However, in this story, he finds himself a key suspect in the murder of his babysitter. His mother, brother and attorney work vigorously to try to defend him even though they are not sure if he is guilty or innocent. Meanwhile, the sheriff is convinced he has found the right killer and is working...more This book falls into the realistic fiction genre. It is about a young boy with Asperger's syndrome. As many children with a form of Autism do, Jacob has a specialty, solving crimes and forensic science. However, in this story, he finds himself a key suspect in the murder of his babysitter. His mother, brother and attorney work vigorously to try to defend him even though they are not sure if he is guilty or innocent. Meanwhile, the sheriff is convinced he has found the right killer and is working hard to out him away.

In this book, Jodi Picoult uses the craft of shifting perspectives. This book is told from the perspective of five main characters. Each chapter shifts back and forth between Jacob the main character, his mom Emma, his brother Theo, his lawyer Oliver, and the town Sheriff Rich. Each chapter has the name of the person's perspective it is told from and each characters'chapters have their own unique font and "voice". In addition to each character giving their unique insight to the court case at hand, they also have their own side stories going on. For example, throughout the course of the book, a love story also develops between Oliver and Emma. Picoult also does an excellent job at portraying realistic feeling and depth to her characters.For instance, Emma feels very conflicted about finding a love interest while her son is on trial for murder. For me, this craft technique gave me the pleasure of feeling like I was reading 5 books at once. However, I could also see how the constant perspective switching could be hard for some readers to follow.

Although Picoult was very effective with her perspective switching, I noticed as I read this book that there were several ideas or starts to side stories that never came to fruition. For example, Emma moonlights as an advice columnist to pay the bills since she cannot hold a regular job due to Jacob's need for constant care. Rich reads this advice column religiously ever day and feels as though whoever writes the column must be the woman of his dreams. However, in the book, Rich never finds out that Emma is the author nor she find out he reads her column. I feel like this was originally intended to be the love story that develops but it seems as though the author forgot about it. As her writing teacher, I would make sure that Picoult knows if she starts a lead, she needs to see it through or edit out the lead when she does her final copy. For me as the reader, I felt frustrated by some of the unnecessary leads, especially because this was an extremely long book.

As a teacher, I could definitely see myself using parts of this book as a mentor text. Although I would not be able to read the entire book, I think I could read short excerpts from each chapter to show how well each characters voice is developed and how meaningful it can be to tell a story from different points of view. I would encourage my students to develop a story that was told from two different points of view. For younger writers, I might encourage them to write about a popular story they were familiar with from two different character's perspectives. For example, the three little pigs simultaneously told from the wolfs and the pig's point of views.(less)

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Apr 09, 2013 Alstroe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-reviewed

In all honestly, I loved the main character (Jacob) even though I found it completely ridiculous that he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. He shows many more qualities of Autism, not those of AS, and he has the majority of the "symptoms" related to being Autistic as opposed to just on the spectrum. All of these "symptoms" combined are highly unlikely in any given AS person.

Another flaw I found in the book was the ending. It did not, in my estimation, end. If gives the reader no clear-cut e...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who likes contemporary fiction

Recommended to Mary by: Library Book Sale

Shelves: read-but-unowned, 2010-2019, 96-100, contemporary-fiction, bought-at-a-library-book-sale, hardcover

Jacob Hunt is a teenager with Asperger's Syndrome. He is hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, although he is brilliant in many ways. Like many children with Asperger's, Jacob has also developed a special focus for a specific subject - in his case, forensic analysis. He is constantly showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner that he keeps in his room, and telling the police what they need to do...and he's usually right.

But when Jacob's small town i...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you've read one Jodi Picoult book, you know the drill: Multiple points of view about a controversial/moral topic that culminates in a court case with a surprise ending. This book is no different, and yet it will stick with me longer because of the character Jacob that Picoult created. Jacob is eighteen and has Asperger's syndrome. He is brilliant but needs routine to feel safe. Thus, he eats only yellow foods one day a week, and he must always be home by 4:30 to watch the CSI-type show "Crime...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Meghan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finished! I'm so excited to be done! I had to read this for a book club otherwise I probably would have stopped about 100 pages in. Picoult can NOT write. I'm a little shocked she's been a New York Times best seller (but then again so has Dan Brown). Why bother making your book from different perspectives when they all have the exact. same. voice. All the characters were exactly the same! At first I thought it was novel having the asperger's kid write, his list making and definite differences...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Jr Bacdayan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I remember being in summer-camp when I read this book. It wasn't even my copy, I just borrowed it from one of the campers there. It was my first Jodi Picoult, and frankly still is. House Rules gave me my first encounter with Asperger's syndrome. Back then, I didn't even know what it was, that's why my curiosity got piqued. I had only meant to skim and see what this was about but I got interested and borrowed it. I liked it. I wasn't blown away or anything, I just wanted to know more about Asperg...more I remember being in summer-camp when I read this book. It wasn't even my copy, I just borrowed it from one of the campers there. It was my first Jodi Picoult, and frankly still is. House Rules gave me my first encounter with Asperger's syndrome. Back then, I didn't even know what it was, that's why my curiosity got piqued. I had only meant to skim and see what this was about but I got interested and borrowed it. I liked it. I wasn't blown away or anything, I just wanted to know more about Asperger's and I did find Jacob very interesting. There were parts that were a bore, but there were also some that really satisfied my palate. Certainly, one wouldn't expect this to be a thrilling page-turner, but rather a tale of emotional depth. The writing was very earnest, one that incited empathy and asked for understanding. The narrative in some places were particularly moving. I really felt the emotion of the particular scene where Theo realizes that he will have to take care of Jacob on his own someday, but wanted to know "why God couldn't have asked him first". It portrays the burden and sacrifices that the family of people with mental disabilities have. That they weren't given a choice and that though they are willing, they have no way out. I couldn't have liked any part more than that. But there were also some really cheesy parts like the trial, you could clearly see that Picoult was out of her element. The general plot is quite so-so for me, though I like its portrayal of how misunderstood Asperger patients are, there were some holes and some parts that were rather unrealistic. Like how the policeman was so stupid as to interrogate a mentally disabled kid and treat him like a normal person and stuff. I also wasn't a fan of the love story between Jacob's mom and the Lawyer. That was a misplaced story, more likely to be found in a third-rate romance novel. Although, the ending was quite a surprise. I liked that it more than justified Jacob but also portrayed him as a hero. Sometimes, we do tend to depreciate some people's value just because of a disadvantage they might have. This book is a mixed bag for me, there are pieces of junk here, but there are also some real treasures to be found. I really appreciate that Picoult not only created a novel but also helped in spreading awareness about people with Asperger's.(less)

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Feb 06, 2013 Mónica Silva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Opinião no blog http://howtoliveathousandlives.blogsp...

Como já seria de esperar, Jodi Picoult envolve o leitor com uma estória intensa e uma narrativa coerente e bem desenvolvida. Mais uma vez aborda uma temática controversa – neste caso o autismo – de uma forma incrível.

Um dos aspetos que contribuem para uma leitura dinâmica e fluida é a divisão em capítulos curtos, cada um com o ponto de vista de uma personagem, com um tipo de letra diferente, o que potencia a ideia que estamos perante difere...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Maryan Pelland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I run hot and cold, or at least warm and cold on Jodi Picoult. She tends, in media interviews, to make remarks that don't really reflect well on her knowledge of the industry she works in. Often, her books are riddled with continuity errors that jar the careful reader out of the story. Sometimes, her plots are too strained and contrived in order to mesh with current headlines and garner an audience to please her publishers. HOUSE RULES is one of the better Picoults.

The story: "HOUSE RULES is abo...more I run hot and cold, or at least warm and cold on Jodi Picoult. She tends, in media interviews, to make remarks that don't really reflect well on her knowledge of the industry she works in. Often, her books are riddled with continuity errors that jar the careful reader out of the story. Sometimes, her plots are too strained and contrived in order to mesh with current headlines and garner an audience to please her publishers. HOUSE RULES is one of the better Picoults.

The story: "HOUSE RULES is about Jacob Hunt, teenager with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at dealing socially with others and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject. For him, it's forensic analysis. He shows up at crime scenes, thanks to his police scanner, and he delights in telling the cops what they need to do. He's usually right. One day his tutor is found dead, and hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Jacob finds himself accused of murder."

The book shows you what's happening from four or five character POVs, one per chapter. This style, which can be annoying, is fairly effective in this book. You'll probably like the characters, all are well-drawn and sympathetic, making me wonder if any of this actually came from Picoult's own experiences. I don't know much about Asberger's and I felt like I was learning something. the story line is exciting — we don't know who actually killed the tutor until the very end. Jacob? His brother who is facing his own challenges in trying to compete for attention with a special needs sibling, the tutor's sleazy boyfriend? The suspense is well-developed.

There's a love story here, too, with a bit of suspense of its own. Who will mom choose? Cop? Lawyer? Her own ex-husband? Ok, I have to call this a page-turner. It's worth reading and quite entertaining. The book, and its ending are satisfying.

In HOUSE RULES Picoult writes about how it must feel to be different in our society. She explores, with empathy, how autism affects a family, and has a look at how the court system can actually be of help to people who don't fit the system. Overall, worth a look.(less)

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Jan 13, 2013 Ms. Okes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

House Rules by Jodi Picoult was an amazing book - a statement I will not make lightly when it comes to reading material. The story follows the family of Jacob Hunt, a teenager with Asperger's who has been accused of murdering his social skills tutor.

The title of the book refers to the short list of rules that is law in the Hunt household. A code of this sort is necessary to help Jacob interact with peers and public at school and in the community. Although such rules apply to each person, Jacob...more House Rules by Jodi Picoult was an amazing book - a statement I will not make lightly when it comes to reading material. The story follows the family of Jacob Hunt, a teenager with Asperger's who has been accused of murdering his social skills tutor.

The title of the book refers to the short list of rules that is law in the Hunt household. A code of this sort is necessary to help Jacob interact with peers and public at school and in the community. Although such rules apply to each person, Jacob takes them as Gospel which cannot be deviated from. Where you and I might see grey areas or loopholes, he sees only black and white. Ultimately, this interpretation of rules is what could decide his fate.

Although the main plot line does focus on the police investigation and court case, the use of five characters' narration allows you to glimpse into the regular schedule of a family working around the quirks of high-functioning autism. I use the word "schedule" deliberately because it is one of the deciding factors in whether Jacob's (and therefore everyone else's) day will go well or end in disastrous episodes that further harm him physically and legally.

I must give kudos to Picoult for the enormous amount of research she had to have gone through in order to write this book. Asperger's is a growing controversial topic in education and mental health today, but her understanding of what each person affected by the disorder must be going through proves that she looked into anecdotes and real-life families as well as medical journals.

Ultimately I was pleased with the ending of the book, though the author does keep you guessing until the last minute. She builds suspense and tension throughout the book so that, even as you are crying out that you know what the characters are missing, you cannot wait until they finally figure out the missing piece. (A fitting metaphor for an autism symbol.)

For more information on Asperger's and autism, check out autism-society.org or theautismsite.com.(less)

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About Jodi Picoult

Picoult was born and raised in Nesconset on Long Island, New York. Her first story, at age 5 was "The Lobster Which Misunderstood." She studied writing at Princeton University, graduating in 1987, and had two short stories published by Seventeen magazine while still in college. Immediately after graduation, she took on a series of miscellaneous jobs, from editing at a textbook publishing company t...more

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“Sometimes I think the human heart is just a simple shelf. There is only so much you can pile onto it before something falls off an edge and you are left to pick up the pieces.” — 142 people liked it

“when you [lose someone], it feels like the hole in your gum when a tooth falls out. You can chew, you can eat, you have plenty of other teeth, but your tongue keeps going back to that empty place, where all nerves are still a little raw” — 126 people liked it

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