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Songs of the Humpback Whale
by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author)
by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author)
** spoiler alert **
As always, I couldn't put this Jodi Picoult book down. Something about her writing is just captivating. However, this was the worst cast of characters in any of her books.
The mother, Jane, was emotionally-stunted at 15 so that she behaved and thought like her daughter, who was forced to be more mature and tended to act like the parent in the relationship. Jane made bad decision after bad decision, dragging her daughter Rebecca along with her, and it resulted in heartache and lives lost. In the end, she wasn't even remorseful that any of this happened.
Oliver, the husband and father, was emotionally distant and socially awkward, but at least he was mature enough to realize what was going on.
Jane's brother, Joley, was creepily obsessed with his sister. I almost felt like if he could, he would have taken their relationship to an incestuous level, like his father had.
Sam was a typical 25-year-old man. He was busy running a business and happened to get caught up in the mess Jane created for everyone. Hadley, his friend, shouldn't have died. But that's just one more of the "bad mistakes" Jane made.
Rebecca, the 14 year old daughter, is the real victim of the story. The first time Jane left Oliver, she went to Massachusetts and Oliver demanded that she and Rebecca come back. Instead of doing the RESPONSIBLE thing, she sent her 3 year old daughter across country on a plane by herself. The plane crashed and Rebecca was one of only 5 survivors. As if this wasn't enough of a lesson to learn, she leaves again and goes to Massachusetts when Rebecca is 14. Jane falls in love with a man 10 years younger (Sam), and Rebecca falls in love with a man 10 years older (Hadley). No one, not Hadley, or Sam, or Jane, thinks to say, "Hey, this girl is only 15 (she turned 15 on the trip cross country). That's illegal. Leave her alone." Then Hadley dies, and Jane, Rebecca, and Oliver all return home to California to live happily ever after. Until Jane decides to leave her husband again, travel cross-country, and perhaps have another catastrophic event happen.
I enjoyed the story, but Jane's character really makes me seethe with anger. Of course, it's rare that Jodi Picoult doesn't make me feel a strong emotion, one way or another, so I'd say it's another successful Jodi Picoult book.
The mother, Jane, was emotionally-stunted at 15 so that she behaved and thought like her daughter, who was forced to be more mature and tended to act like the parent in the relationship. Jane made bad decision after bad decision, dragging her daughter Rebecca along with her, and it resulted in heartache and lives lost. In the end, she wasn't even remorseful that any of this happened.
Oliver, the husband and father, was emotionally distant and socially awkward, but at least he was mature enough to realize what was going on.
Jane's brother, Joley, was creepily obsessed with his sister. I almost felt like if he could, he would have taken their relationship to an incestuous level, like his father had.
Sam was a typical 25-year-old man. He was busy running a business and happened to get caught up in the mess Jane created for everyone. Hadley, his friend, shouldn't have died. But that's just one more of the "bad mistakes" Jane made.
Rebecca, the 14 year old daughter, is the real victim of the story. The first time Jane left Oliver, she went to Massachusetts and Oliver demanded that she and Rebecca come back. Instead of doing the RESPONSIBLE thing, she sent her 3 year old daughter across country on a plane by herself. The plane crashed and Rebecca was one of only 5 survivors. As if this wasn't enough of a lesson to learn, she leaves again and goes to Massachusetts when Rebecca is 14. Jane falls in love with a man 10 years younger (Sam), and Rebecca falls in love with a man 10 years older (Hadley). No one, not Hadley, or Sam, or Jane, thinks to say, "Hey, this girl is only 15 (she turned 15 on the trip cross country). That's illegal. Leave her alone." Then Hadley dies, and Jane, Rebecca, and Oliver all return home to California to live happily ever after. Until Jane decides to leave her husband again, travel cross-country, and perhaps have another catastrophic event happen.
I enjoyed the story, but Jane's character really makes me seethe with anger. Of course, it's rare that Jodi Picoult doesn't make me feel a strong emotion, one way or another, so I'd say it's another successful Jodi Picoult book.
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