By Jove, or should that be, by Jodi, goddess of modern-day storytelling, she’s done it again! In Sing You Home, Jodi Picoult has covered the four E’s “educate, entertain, engage and enthuse” and has created a belter of a story which genuinely fits the description “unputdownable”.

This will be a short but sweet review as I don’t wish to include spoilers which would mar future readers’ enjoyment. The story is told from three different perspectives, Zoe Baxter, a musician and music therapist, her husband Max, a landscape gardener and Vanessa Shaw, a high school guidance counsellor who enlists the services of Zoe to use music therapy with one of her students. Somehow these three fairly ordinary individuals become enmeshed in a legal battle involving the three frozen embryos which were left in storage after Zoe and Max’s many failed attempts at IVF. As in many of Jodi’s novels, there are difficult social issues but in Sing You Home, I think she’s done her best work and topics as diverse as infertility, gay rights, music therapy, Christian beliefs, discrimination, the role of the family, relationship choices are seamlessly woven together.

It’s not all black and white though – whilst it is clear that the author doesn’t hold much “faith” with extreme religious fanaticism, we do see a more subtle, multi-tonal representation of those who have been “saved”. I learned a lot about the difficulties faced by those undergoing IVF, the dashing of hopes and dreams. I was made more aware of the hardship faced by those in same sex marriages in what we would assume to be a more liberal 21st century. I realised how hard it must be to leave the supportive community of fellow Christians if you feel you can’t make it on your own. Yes, indeed, my mind was truly boggling after reading this book, in a good way!

This review is based on an advance electronic version provided by www.simonandschuster.com. It’s definitely a sign of a great book that I was willing to stay up to the wee small hours reading this on my laptop! I eagerly await the publication of the “real” book, 1st March in the US and 12th April in the UK when I will also be able to listen to the cd which accompanies the ten tracks/chapters of the novel. I’ve been interested in music therapy for a while and I look forward to hearing the voice of Jodi’s friend, Ellen Wilber who will be Zoe’s voice. Picoult fans, you are in for a treat!