House Rules
discussion
Hello? What Happens to Jacob?!!!!!?
I have read every Jodi Picoult book and she does that (leaves you hanging in the end) in A LOT of them! I was disappointed as well, but I would like to think it all worked out well...
Jodi books leaves us guessing what will happen in the end. I love House Rules as a whole story but the twist at the end is quite lame and in-affectionate.. I also would like to know what the court will do after that... and in my opinion the way they handle Jacob whose condition is within the autism spectrum is not really just and this will have to be discussed further in future....^^
I just read this book, and I was disappointed that she didn't let us know what happened in the end also. I am going to go with the person above and say hopefully it all worked out well, but after all of the details we were given, it would have been nice to feel like we knew what happened in the end.
I agree! I was pissed at the write your own ending. I figured Mom is visiting two different jails on the weekends and enjoying a new reltionship with the lawyer.
I've read a lot of Picoult's books, and I'm used to her endings that leave me with more questions than satisfication BUT this one bothered me. I took the ending as the truth finally got out and Jacob never went to jail. They all lived a happy life together with Henry back in the picture. I just think readers need to know what kind of punishment both Theo (for withholding information)and Jacob got. If we're going to be realistic here they couldn't have just walked away from it all. I feel like you have this lengthy novel here that just builds you up to leave you hanging. ***
I just guessed that he wasnt sentenced cause he didnt do it! He told them what really happened so why would he be sentenced?!
He tampered with the evidence and made it look like a murder. I assumed they'd both be in some trouble.
I agree with Cyd! I don't think they would get off free and clear. Both of them would have been in some kind of trouble, at least probation or something. I guess we all will have to use our imaginations.
I would like to have enough faith in the legal system that it would not result in jail time. Yes, they both did something wrong, moreso Jacob since he tampered with evidence, and should therefore have consequences. But, people are put on probabtion for much larger crimes these days. Also, wouldn't they take Jacob's special needs into consideration? I think he did know what he did was wrong and was covering for his up evidence for his brother, but the death was still an accident. I think they moreso wasted people's time.
I just finished this book and what a let down! I was so disappointed in the ending. What happened to the trial? I mean the jury was out, literally, at the end of the book. I didn't like it that she left us hanging like that. grrrrr....
I absolutely loved this novel. I am proud to say that I guessed the ending (what really happened, I should say) around halfway through the novel. I think that what happened to Jacob in the end isn't the main point that Picoult is trying to get across. I think that considering what would have happened to him for tampering with a crime scene, what happened to Theo, etc. is really reading too much into it. I think that that isn't really what the story is about; it's more about the family dynamic, Jacob's Asperger's, and how these things effect the day-to-day life, etc. Of course, knowing every tiny legal detail is classic in a Picoult book, but this one is different, in my opinion. The bottom line is, it isn't written, so it's up to interpretation. If Picoult didn't put it in the story, there has got to be a reason. Just my opinion!
At the end of the day, Picoult has her own writing style which is what makes her a writer. 'Cliffhangers' are a common tool in writing, and she uses them perfectly. Her line in writing is 'what would you do?', her books are meant to make you think. The endings do exactly that.
Sarah wrote: "At the end of the day, Picoult has her own writing style which is what makes her a writer. 'Cliffhangers' are a common tool in writing, and she uses them perfectly. Her line in writing is 'what wou..."i agree that the point of the story isnt necessairly about the outcome .. but the journey towards it
Sandy wrote: "Sarah wrote: "At the end of the day, Picoult has her own writing style which is what makes her a writer. 'Cliffhangers' are a common tool in writing, and she uses them perfectly. Her line in writin..."You phrased it much better than me, haha :)
lol urs sounded much cleverer then mine lol x
I just don't think people should be fretting about the ending when the morals and build up of the story is the most important bit. After all it is a great book.
If it wasnt a cliffhanger, would there be so many comments here? All in all, loved the book. Just finished Hannah's book, Night Road....again, not really an ending....but well worth the read....maybe we are meant to put our own "happy Endng"??? ....or maybe there will be a sequel?
The ending of this book is not the problem actually. Endings in her books are left for the readers. Her depiction of Asperger is an atrocity. She took all the problems of Asperger and dumped them on one child. I love her books but this was not good at all if you know Asperger's.
Sonia wrote: "The ending of this book is not the problem actually. Endings in her books are left for the readers. Her depiction of Asperger is an atrocity. She took all the problems of Asperger and dumped them o..."surely she was just saying what if in a worse case scenario for a family with a asperger sufferer?
I think She purposely gave him a heavy douse of all the symptoms; a normal Asperger's sufferer probably wouldn't do the things Jacob did. He needed to have a heavy case so that the plot would fit. And surely some Asperger's sufferer somewhere has ALL the symptoms, so it's not that bad. It's fiction, it's not meant to be true.
I'm not a specialist when it comes to Asperger's but I do work with kids who are on the Autism Spectrum. I couldn't but help thinking of some of these children as I read and completely enjoyed this book. Where social inadequacies, differences and inabilities to relate are a huge part of these children's lives, I was thrilled that Jacob stood up for and covered his brother's actions. As to what happens to Jacob now? I'm not sure that it matters as far as the book goes. But as a real person? Jacob has made a tremendous step in his life. I loved the book.
Anna wrote: "I have read every Jodi Picoult book and she does that (leaves you hanging in the end) in A LOT of them! I was disappointed as well, but I would like to think it all worked out well..."Agreed and agreed. Drives me crazy.
This was my favorite book by Picoult, and I love the ending! It left you guessing about will happen, it also cause you to raise questions.
I guess I disagree with Picoults abilities to raise questions. I don't think she is good at it. I think she answers the big questions and leaves silly ones unanswered. We know that Jacob doesn't go to prison but are left wondering about the brother and if anything has changed for him or if the mum and lawyer end up marrying.
I don't think there is anything good or deep about the questions she leaves unanswered, just that she is bad at writing endings.
i agree with suzanne but i really wasnt pissed off by it. just craving for more detail:)
Sonia wrote: "The ending of this book is not the problem actually. Endings in her books are left for the readers. Her depiction of Asperger is an atrocity. She took all the problems of Asperger and dumped them o..."I completely agree with you! I work with children with austism spectrum disorders and there were many times that I wanted to throw the book because of all of the inaccuracies! There was obviously very little research that went into this book because so much of it was built off of popular, but completely untrue, beliefs about ASD causes/treatments. I was extremely upset; there is so much misinformation about Autism and Asperbergers and Picoult just furthered these stereotypical and inaccurate beliefs.
Is nobody else wondering who the 'I' was at the end of the last case study about Jacob's trial? I cant get it out of my head! Who was the person saying 'I would do it all again@'?? Also, i LOVED the book, except for the ambiguity of the 'I'.
I felt left out by the end of the story, too. I am glad the truth finally came out (I thought it was pretty obvious what had actually happened). However, so much of this could have been avoided if Jacob had left things be. Anyway, I am assuming that Jacob and Theo both received some type of punishment, but I doubt either of them would have received jail time. Who knows, though? Theo might be in a lot of trouble for not speaking out for all of those months.
Rachael wrote: "Is nobody else wondering who the 'I' was at the end of the last case study about Jacob's trial? I cant get it out of my head! Who was the person saying 'I would do it all again@'?? Also, i LOVED th..."Yes!! Right as I read that, I thought to myself "Who is I?!" It makes you think that it was possibly someone else completely, and that they murdered Jess and got away with it all. I personally loved the book as well.
Rachael wrote: "Is nobody else wondering who the 'I' was at the end of the last case study about Jacob's trial? I cant get it out of my head! Who was the person saying 'I would do it all again@'?? Also, i LOVED th..."I thought that the "I" was referring to Jacob since I am assuming that all of the case studies in the book were written by Jacob. I loved the book (as I love all of the books I have read by Jodi), and I always expect a twist in the end and not full closure of the story; however, with this book, I feel as if too much was left for the reader to figure out. I want to know what happened after the truth fully came out!
I just finished this one a few weeks ago and I agree. I also had trouble reading at times due to the fact that I have 2 kids on the spectrum. I had issue with the mom allowing so much room for the spectrumish in their lives. In our home we try very hard to help teach and prepare for real world and real life. SO there is less confusion and not fitting in. Of course every family and every child is different and that is fine. But for me while reading I had trouble. Was anyone else bothered that he was allowed so much room to dive into such a hobby with so much room for confusion? I did really like how she organized it. I think she did a fabulous job of capturing the pain and true experiences of how autism can effect a family and friends. But I agree there are so many questions .
I think it was kind of obvious that Jacob and Theo were both innocent because the girl died accidentally on her own account. I don't think Jodi needed to finish the rest of the court scene. I love Jodi Picoult and House Rules is a new favourite!
Several people have criticised the ending of the book, but i beg to differ. This was never a real murder story to start with so let's not expect great revelations or realising obvious clues we missed out at the end as would a typical detective story. This excellent work of Jodi's is a book of emotional and mental turmoil. The entire story really is built upon one House Rule: Take care of your brother, for he's all that you got.
So when Jacob suspected his brother was the murderer, he did as much as his Aspergers would allow to create a bluff crime scene to draw the police's attention away for Theo, albeit unknowingly to himself.
He did all that to protect, to care, to be the big brother figure for his younger brother. YET, the bittersweet thing is that Jacob, as a APG sufferer, knows nothing about protecting or caring for someone else however close, except for himself! It wasnt because he was unwilling to, it was because he just cant do so. He did all that simply because it was a House Rule: Take care of your brother, for he's all that you got.
Jacob understood the literal meaning of the golden rule, but could never understand the emotional responsibilities and connotations it brought along. And he followed it religiously like an unbreakable law.
This little revelation in the closing chapters sure brought a little twist to the story line, but it sure made my insides twist, fold and wrapped when cold, blind following of rules collide with something as heartwarming as brotherhood.
So lets move past the possible legal actions taken towards the brothers and the formulatic plot. This book has taught me alot and brought me through a roller coaster of emotions especially through Jacob's eyes.
House Rules made my brows knit together when Jacob's routine was disrupted cuasing his meltdown; it made my heart beat a little faster when Jacob was suffering in jail and resorted to inflict pain on himself. But it also made me (and you too, i'll bet) smile when Jacob waves his right hand when the judge asked him if he knew what it meant to waive his rights.
Sonia wrote: "The ending of this book is not the problem actually. Endings in her books are left for the readers. Her depiction of Asperger is an atrocity. She took all the problems of Asperger and dumped them o..."Well, considering that Asperger's Syndrome is a spectrum disorder, some people are going to be higher functioning, while others, like Jacob, are lower functioning.
As for the ending itself-- I don't think the final verdict was really needed, as that wasn't what the story was about. The story was about a kid who followed the rules, even if he didn't fully understand the emotional connection to it.
I too asked myself, "What happened?" I loved the book and felt that she was very true to how people with Asperger's act and think. However, I felt like she left a gap in the story line.As the mother of a child with Asperger's Syndrome, I can tell you that many of these people have very little sense of time. The time that he spent in a jail cell, even if it was only a day or two, would seem like a lifetime to him. I wonder if they would give him time served, plus probation or something?
I also wondered if the mother and lawyer would be able to get a judge and jury to understand that although having Asperger's usually makes the person very intelligent, they don't usually understand how their actions will impact the future.
The punishment for his brother needs to be greater, as he knew exactly what he was doing and what might result from his actions.
I wrote my second book about my son. I found that a lot of people were confused about this disorder. It will be coming out soon. I hope it provides a window into the world of these wonderful people.
This was the least irritating ending of Picoults IMO. Others have made me angry in their rush, or complete disregard for characters. This one, I think, implied that life went on as normal after it all came out. I cannot imagine a jail term for either boy would have happened, perhaps some form of punishment for Theo, but not prison. At least she didn't have the kid go to jail written off in one sentence and the mother live happily ever after with the lawyer, which I wouldn't have put past her going on previous stories.Pleased my emotional committment to the characters paid off this time at least.
I read the ending of this book, flipped anxiously to the next page, desperately hoping that although the few pages left were dangerously few, there would be something, anything, more. Then I promptly threw down the book and let out an odd noise from the base of my throat and held my head in my hands. The ending frustrated me to no end, and this is not the first time Jodi has done this to me. I am now constantly wondering what happened, and what is stored in her mind that we all desperately want to know. All I know is I think she is absolutely brilliant to do this. Houserules kept my attention 100% of the time. & maybe it's because I'm interested with things like autism & social deficiencies and mental illnesses, but as a girl with raging hormones & a bad case of ADD, I couldn't tear myself away. She is genius to leave the ending to the reader,as much as it might make me want to kill her. She is a genius and my inspiration, personally. I love her to death.
For all the people commenting on the incorrect citations of Asperger's syndrome; please remember it's a work of fiction. We don't criticise Harry Potter because it's not a good portrayal of normal teenagers do we.
It's not about leaving you hanging, it's about allowing you make your own conclusions about how the story ends. These type of endings don't suit everyone - but can add an awesome intensity to the story. Appreciate being given the opportunity to use your imagination. It's an intriguing way to end a book and quite clever, as it keeps you thinking about the story long after you have completed the book and results in you engaging in conversations about it, maybe even encouraging more people to read her books... clever lady and awesome story-teller. As for the critique of her portrayal of Asperger's - I totally agree with Sarah. I am a psychologist who specializes in this area of mental difficulties, so you would think it would annoy me that it is not completely precise. However, when reading fiction, I appreciate it as fiction and don't expect it to be more than that. Every good author researcher's their main topics, etc. but you can't expect perfection when you are reading a work of fiction.
Love Jodi's writing...
I'm glad it's not just me! I felt the same way when I'd finished this book. Suzanne wrote: "Somebody please reassure me that I'm not the only one who is pissed that she didn't tell what happened to Jacob- as in: actual verdict & sentence.
Love me some Jodi Picoult, but I will tell everyo..."
Everytime I finish reading her books, she always leaves me questioning. But I love her anyway.
The ending completely infuriated me. They wait to ask the truth from the kid who always tells the truth when the jury is out deliberating the verdict. Not to mention that no judge would take the confession seriously because Theo would just be assumed to be lying to save his brother. And if by some miracle, they allowed the information in as new evidence, the prosecutor only has to say that Jacob planted the tea bag to further throw off investigators and cast doubt upon his guilt. Totally worthless ending. It's such a puerile, gutless way to end a book. Sure you don't have to wrap up every loose end, but at least have the backbone to write a concrete resolution. I at least want part of the royalties if I have to write an ending myself.
I agree with what everone else has said regarding the ending. I would have liked to know what happened to Jacob and Theo. Not knowing much about the legal system, I can't say legally what would have happened. I would hope that the judge and jury would take Jacob's Asperger's into consideration if a sentence was to be handed down. Personally, I imagine that Jacob got off and Henry returned to his idealistic life in California. I have this mental picture of Jacob going to the Henry C. Lee College of Criminology in New Haven.
My Kindle messed up at the very very end so in order to finish the last 10 pages, I had to order the book. After waiting 2 weeks to receive it (I live in NL) I got to read the last chapter. and what a frustrating bummer! There was no ending! I really enjoyed House Rules until the very last sentence, and learned hundreds of fascinating facts about Aspergers along the way, and then, after the mounting tension had been building for weeks (I even refused to see the movie until I had finished this book), no ending. A 400 page court scene and the book ends a few minutes before the jury announces the verdict. Drawn-out suspense and it ends on a cliff-hanger. It's hard to recommend House Rules without a waiver: warning, this book is great until the last page, then it's just plain horrible. Your jaw drops and you go, waaa? No snaps for this one.
There's a movie based on House Rules???? What's the title?
Dahneshia wrote: "I've read a lot of Picoult's books, and I'm used to her endings that leave me with more questions than satisfication BUT this one bothered me. I took the ending as the truth finally got out and Jac..."My thoughts exactly. How was new evidence admissible so late. Theo would have been jailed for obstructing the course of justice!
So nice to know I'm not the only one confused by it. I really liked the story, but I always NEED the bow tied at the end of everything.
I fit the profile of Emma. I am a single mom, have a son with Asbergers who is 16 and a son three years younger. The father is in my son's life, but he is in denial and ignores his condition. I was very emotional throughout the entire book and found many qirks similar with my son and jacob. I felt that Jacob's condition was more severe than Asperger's syndrome because my son does not slip into the unknown like he did every time he got out of routine. However, my son has never experiences such stress as Jacob did. I was so distrought of what the fate of Jacob would be. The ending had absolutely zero closure and I feel like I spent so much time reading the book. As a mother of an Asbergers child, I feel that it was unrealistic that the entire story never came out as close as he and the mother were. It waas very frustrating to read.
I hate those cliff hangers. They annoy they hell out of me. But I hope that Jacob got off the hook and the court figures that it was just him and his autism, but realistically, I'm sure they would both get in trouble.
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Love me some Jodi Picoult, but I will tell everyone that she left me hanging on this one. Does anybody else feel this way, too?