Songs of the Humpback Whale (by Jodi Picoult)

I have collected quite a few of Jodi Picoult’s books over the years, many of them from church book sales or similar. I usually like the writing and find them gripping; they can be quite tense at times. So more often than not I look for something lighter. However I decided it was time to tackle one of the four on my to-be-read shelf. I chose ‘Songs of the humpback whale’ which was, apparently, the author’s first published novel.

The story is told in five different voices, distinct enough that...