My Sister's Keeper in Our Shared Shelf

Aug 11, 2009 treehugger rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read_2009, audiobooks, own_it, popular_lit

I feel like I huffed this book like a junkie huffs a Sharpie, like I inhaled it without hardly even tasting it. This book kept me up at night, I alternated between the audiobook in the car on the way to work and the paperback in bed. It finally released me from its jaws today, and I’ll be glad to get some rest.

Don’t misunderstand, I certainly realize that Jodi Picoult is NOT a good writer. She will NOT win any serious literary awards, or be on a high school or college reading list. She’s BARELY I feel like I huffed this book like a junkie huffs a Sharpie, like I inhaled it without hardly even tasting it. This book kept me up at night, I alternated between the audiobook in the car on the way to work and the paperback in bed. It finally released me from its jaws today, and I’ll be glad to get some rest.

Don’t misunderstand, I certainly realize that Jodi Picoult is NOT a good writer. She will NOT win any serious literary awards, or be on a high school or college reading list. She’s BARELY above mindless chicklit like the Shopaholic series (which can certainly be fun :)) . Yet, this remains one of the best books I’ve read in quite awhile, simply for the issues it raises and tosses around and never quite settles.

Picoult’s style, it appears, is to smack the reader over the head with so many metaphors and similes as to make it seem that she is saying something quite intelligently…yet even THIS was forgivable in light of how freaking UNEXPECTED this book was. Even as I thought I KNEW what was coming, without a shadow of a doubt, it’s an incredible shock to reach the end of this novel.

Main premise in one sentence – Seventeen year old Kate has APL, a super rare and extra malignant form of leukemia and her brother Jesse wasn’t a good enough match to be any sort of donor for her, so her parents genetically created a test tube baby perfect match for her (Anna) who at age 13 files a lawsuit for medical emancipation so that she can make her own decisions about whether she donates to Kate or not. Add a poorly disguised “cranky” lawyer, a super-intelligent and emotional guardian ad litem, an obsessive mother, a father who checks out by fighting fires, a brother who lives only to get into trouble, and a portly “no-nonsense” judge, and you’ve got the main premise AND the character list.

The romance bits – LAME. Oh, lame. The parts about being a mom? Pretty inspiring – for me it’s clear that she LOVES her young’uns like crazy. The medical stuff? She did her homework and knows some stuff, but it’s also obvious that while she tries to pass herself off as one, Picoult is no RN or MD. This is the second audiobook by her I’ve listened to in the last couple weeks, and they both have made me laugh bc the narrators have mispronounced the names of medications, wrongly interpreted lab abbreviations in medical records, etc. There was even a glaring pharmaceutical error in the other book, but I forget now what it was – I had to keep rewinding to make sure I had heard it right, and it made me laugh.

And the hype – I KNOW, I KNOW, there’s a MOVIE coming out, so everyone and their MOTHER is reading this book, talking about the movie, etc. I think Cameron Diaz is an unlikable nitwit, and so I’m interested to see how this turns out. I have a VERY soft spot for Joan Cusack though, which is why I will most likely spend a courtly sum to see this movie in the theaters. (that, and this serious sense of loss after finishing the book and not having Anna or Kate or Campbell or Julia or Izzy around anymore).

I DUG that there was a heartbroken lesbian twin sister who dressed, talked, and acted like a GIRL (NOT a wannabe man) and had been in a long term, committed relationship with a woman. SO RARELY portrayed that way in popular media, so I hope she plays a role in the movie as well.

So, I guess in summary, I would say read this novel, expect to be taken in by Anna, repelled by Sara, feel like punching Jesse, and shaking Brian for being such a weenie. DON’T expect literary greatness, but it’s worth it anyway!
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Jul 14, 2009 Sarah rated it it was ok

Anna was the novel's only saving grace, no pun intended, and the ending left a horrible taste in my mouth. Yeah, I read My Sister's Keeper in one shot, and it made me cry hard enough that my dog wandered into my room, wondering what was wrong. But it was a cheap cry. Picoult drove me crazy with a poorly kept plot line called Jesse, the seemingly 100-word romance and gestures at humor that make me grimace over and over. ...more

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Jul 03, 2009 Robin rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: made-into-a-movie

Totally depressing from start to finish. My mom gave me this book and implied there was humor along with the tragedy but I found nothing funny. Just totally depressing story from start to finish with no redeeming qualities, no point to all the suffering. I could not relate to the mother character in the book until maybe the last 40 pages. There are attempts at plot twists at the end, but by that point you're so depressed you can't bother to be impressed by the surprises. Unless you love tragedy ...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Meghna rated it it was amazing

This was a great book. Shows you there is no black and white or right or wrong in this situation. Total page turner

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Aug 28, 2009 Diana rated it really liked it

I read it b/c I wanted to see the movie. Never saw the movie, but loved the story.

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Apr 30, 2008 Karla rated it did not like it

Shelves: classics-heavier-reads

Too many different narrators - I felt the addition of the love story just muddied up the waters. The book wandered all over the place and I had a hard time keeping focused. One of the worst endings I have ever read.

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Mar 12, 2008 Mychal V rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: myfavorites

I absolutely adore Jodi's writing style. She always creates so much depth to her characters and their lives. This book took a coming-of-age topic and turned it on its head. I enjoyed every moment of it! ...more

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