do you think its fair for Anna to die, or did Kate had to die?

[[deleted user]]

I feel like it was totally unfiar for Anna to lose her life so soon after she finally found her freedom. I believe it was not a very nice ending to the book.

[Yasmeen]

Chamera wrote: "I think that Picoult's ending was written beautifully. Sure, many people would have expected someone to die. It is a bit cliche. But Picoult did switch it up. I know while reading, I expected Kate ..."

well said...i agree, you just spoke my mind:
"What would have been cliche would have been having none of the characters die, having Anna deciding to give up her kidney (which would have solved nothing in the end), having a donor surprisingly appear that matched Kate's. What would have been cliche is the happy ending. I know we all subconsciously ache for it, but this novel shows a harsh reality. Not everyone gets a happy ending, not every cancer patient goes into a permanent remission, not every car crash victim comes out alive, and not every person who dies does so at their time."

[between the lines]

I guess that's Picoult's way of telling us that life is unfair. But one thing I know for sure is that if Kate was the one who died I wouldn't have shed a single tear.
I love Anna way more than Kate. Anna is funny, smart and charming, especially so for a 13-year-old. She is ready to face her mother's wrath for the sake of setting Kate free.

On the other hand, Kate is boring to say the least. I mean Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars had cancer as well but that did not mean that she was wallowing in self pity .Also, there are no Kate-POVs before Anna's death, so I didn't know what went on in her head and so don't feel much for her.

After Anna died, I could not read the book anymore as my eyes were blurred with tears. I would have probably cried even if Jesse died because inspite of his juvenile delinquency, there is something about him that him a highly likable character.

All I'm trying to say if it was Kate who died,the book would not have been as hard hiting as it is with Anna's death.

[кคгรץภ]

I don't think either of them should've died. I'm only saying this because I got attached to them both, but still. D: Sadly, before I read the book I was told that she was going to die, and that Kate wanted her not to donate her kidney...so that just made reading the book more upsetting. T^T

[X]

Anna's death was a surprise, at least to me. I actually thought that they'd be able to find some way to be able to have a happy ending. But no, just as Anna came to be because of Kate, Anna left because of her. And afterwards Kate lived. The plot twist is tragic yet whole at the same time. It wasn't fair to either of them, Anna didn't have a chance at life again, though she gave me the impression that she had no regrets. And Kate had to shoulder Anna's death for the rest of her life, after she believed she should die so Anna could be free. I loved this book.

[Sarah]

i like the movie ending better. Kate was ready to die, she grew and accepted her fate. The book ending with Anna dieing took all what Kate was ready to do and just spat in her face. Kate was soo amazing and brave she had such a mature and grown up soul (at least in the movie, sorry i didn't read the book) but yeah the movie made more sense and had a lot of good emotion

[Mia]

I didn't like the ending. It relied too heavily on coincidence and felt like something out of a soap opera. I'm probably in the minority for thinking this, but I liked the movie's ending better.

[Mina]

So, I wasn't mentally prepared for the ending. I just wasn't. When the time came that I reached the end, I was in public. And I was just so shocked.
I'm glad Kate lived. I'm not glad that Anna died. I have mixed emotions on the ending because Kate probably will die later on anyways, and that means that Sara and Brain will lose both their girls.

[Mckenna]

I really hated that Anna died but in a way it was refreshing. Many books that I read have hollywood endings that make us believe completely in happy endings. In my experience everything ending happily is rare and overrated. I think that having one of them die, especially the one that everyone thought would live, added a sense of reality to the story.

[Grace]

I hated how Anna has to die at the end. I mean she lived her whole life trying to give just that to her sister. I hated how the whole point of her existence was because of her sister (like Shannon said)!!! That was sooooo sad!!! Don't get me wrong I loved the book but I wish that she had at least a little bit of time to enjoy her newfound freedom before it was taken away.

[Victoria]

life isn't fair...I guess books aren't anymore either.. darn

[Millyk]

I guess in someways yes and someways no. Like, Kate is the reason Anna was born, but in the same way, Kate wanted to die, and Anna wanted to live. I guess thats what people expect to happen, so the author may have just been trying to create a surprise.

[Nancy]

This book turned me off to Jodi Picoult books. It just bothered me, like it was done for shock value. I don't know. I just hated it

[Ross]

I don't think Anna should die.

[Angelica]

I saw the movie first and in the movie it was kate who died, I was suprised when I found out that it was anna, in the book. It doesnt really matter to me if it is fair or not. The ending is unexpected unlike other stories where the ending is predictable.

[Grace]

I agree. It was nice to have an unpredictable ending and with a story like that a happy ending that involves everyone surviving and living happily ever after is just not very realistic. I mean I like happy endings and all and I hate how Anna had to die because it was unfair that she never had a chance to enjoy living her life free of her sister's burden but if Picoult had ended the book happily she would not have stayed true to the story. It made me sad but I think it was only part of the point of proving that life is never fair but we make the most of the time we have. Every cancer patient learns that when they get diagnosed because you always appreciate what you have when a limit is put on it.

[[deleted user]]

I'm glad I am not the only one that thought the ending was not good. I thought it was abrupt. Picoult put so much effort into telling the whole story with such detail. It kept my attention to the end. So, when the ending happened, it seemed that there wasn't much leading up to it; to give it a reason for happening. Bad weather, I think, is a poor excuse.

[Nikki]

I felt that, although the ending was overwhelming, it was the perfect ending for the story. It was unexpected, realistic, and emotional. The ending, as did the book, honestly represented real life and the turmoil people go through. Life doesn't always give you a happy ending. The movie ending, in comparison, lacked the sacrifice, pain, and reality that the book's ending claimed. Piccoult wrote the ending so eloquently and honestly that I felt no other ending would've sufficed.

[Sruthi]

Helena wrote: "I have read all the posted comments but none of them sway me from my original position that the author took the easy way by writing the death of Anna in a way that took no responsibility for makein..."

I hope you're still reading the comments! Along with the other people who have "voted" for other endings.

So, there seems to be support for these endings:
1. Anna dies
2. Kate dies
3. Both live.

I don't see the point of debating the how realistic any of these endings are. Nothing's "realistic" about death. Anyone can die. At any point. Due to countless reasons.

With this book, Picoult knew the ending before she point her pen to paper. I sobbed the first time I read it and was pretty much as aghast as the supporters of endings 2 and 3. But, then I read that Picoult was as torn up as the readers over the death. Regardless, she was utterly convinced that this was the only way to end the book. I mean, her kids were up in arms over the end of the book and refused to talk to her after reading it, so the shock that a reader experiences is quite understandable.

Ending 1 was not picked by her for its shock value. It was picked to convey the theme that she wanted to convey.

I think a lot of people have eloquently put across how Anna's death carries so much meaning in the book. But since you don't seem convinced, I would ask you to read the the first few pages of the book again. Where Kate recalls how she tried to kill Anna and where Anna muses on the reason babies are brought into the world.

Kate was dying. Anna was her sister's keeper. Either Kate dies or Anna is ultimately sacrificed to save Kate. This is why I find ending 3 pretty much offensive. It goes against the story set up by the author. Kate tells you that one of them had to die.

I'm repeating myself, but Anna's death was not put in the book because Picoult wanted to go "oh, you were expecting Kate to die? Haha."

At the end of the day, each reader interprets a story differently. So, anyone may read something entirely different into Anna's death. But I would ask the ones who feel Anna's death is unfair to ruminate on it, because that's how I came to my interpretation. That, and reading it several times over.

There's so many great things about this book, but the ending is what makes me love it. I'll probably cry the next time I read it as well (4th!), but Anna's death made me view life differently.

It caused me to question life itself. Why are we born into this world? If we are born with a purpose, do we necessarily fulfill it? How important is that our parents wanted us in the world for no other reason that to love us? If parents have something else in mind, how does that affect the dynamics of a family? Can loving a child after giving birth to her for the sole purpose of saving another negate that she would never be alive were it not for the dying sibling?

And for those of you commenting that Anna was fighting and had just won when she died, she wasn't.

The point of the trial is to showcase the many reasons Anna could have had for starting her fight. We are supposed to sympathize and empathize with her. Before we learn that Anna wants to save her sister. As much as any of the other characters. She's fighting because her sister wants to die.

And that's what hits me every time. Anna is carrying the burden of her sister's wish to die. She is fighting for Kate to die even though she is willing to save her. Can you imagine? You want to save your sister, you are the only person who can, you are willing to make the necessary sacrifice, but your sister doesn't want to live. And instead of telling the rest of the family, Kate asks Anna to stop donating. Kate forces Anna to be the agent of her death.

Kate cannot exist without her keeper and can die only if the keeper stops being a keeper.

Anna's purpose in life is to be her sister's keeper. She exists to be sacrificed for her sister.

So you see, to me, Anna is the one that has to die. Anna is Kate's savior and Kate will carry a part of Anna inside her for the rest of her life...

Anna is the reason Kate lives.

[Katie]

I cried so much. I understand the authors point in making it "tough" or whatever-it just seems very random. I think it would of been better if they all just lived, or if someone had to die, it should of been Kate.

[Carolina]

Glenn wrote: "I know this diverges a little from the discussions above, but I'd like to offer a different slant on 'Why Kate Had To Die'

In one sense Sarah [Kates mom:] was supporting her child, but in anothe..."

Thank You Glenn, that was considerate.

[Mish]

I feel that Anna's death showed us how their parents developed. Throughout this ordeal, they have been learning that they need to let go. If Sara had the same attitude about life at the end of the book as she did in the beginning, we could assume she would choose to keep Anna alive on life support, trying to find a way to "cure" her. Sara was finally able to let go and accept death and life's unfairness.

While I wanted Anna to live, to see how her and Kate continue, I understand Picoult's ending. Not to mention it made my jaw drop. (This is my first Picoult book and I was not familiar with her writing. Apparently she frequently has a "twist" ending.)

[Carolina]

Michelle wrote: "I feel that Anna's death showed us how their parents developed. Throughout this ordeal, they have been learning that they need to let go. If Sara had the same attitude about life at the end of the ..."

Well, but that was unpartial from the start. Kate's survival started and ended as top priority, changeless.

[Carolina]

Sruthi wrote: "Helena wrote: "I have read all the posted comments but none of them sway me from my original position that the author took the easy way by writing the death of Anna in a way that took no responsibi..."

Agreed. There's inner logic in the novel's plot

[Catherben (Noah)]

While reading the book I really thought that it would be Kate or Jesse who would die and never considered that Anna might be the one to die.

I liked that the novel ended with Kate narrating. It was a good stylistic choice because we spent the whole book hearing about Kate from the point of view of others and never got to hear from her herself. I just wish it could have been done under different circumstances.

While I really enjoyed the rest of the book, the ending felt rushed and out of place.

I mean I guess there was the repetition of "it's raining" during the last few chapters as build up to the car crash. and i guess it's ironic that the family loses their healthy daughter in an accident and the sick daughter they expected to die survives.

It's not really a bad ending, it's just an extremely unsatisfying one. I can't honestly say that i would have liked it better if it was less sudden or if it was written differently. Car crashes and accidental deaths are sudden. They come out of nowhere and change everything. So although those kinds of deaths in fiction are incredibly frustrating, I kind of like how it was used in this book. Death can be slowly taking hold of someone their whole life or it can take them suddenly without warning.

I was rooting for Anna and wanted to see who she would be in ten years. I've always hated books where a character has to die for another character to feel loved/appreciate life/etc. but I would have let Kate or Jesse die to let Anna live, which is pretty rotten of me.

For once this was a book where I really felt one of the kids had to die. None of them were really living. Their parents attention was constantly divided. Jesse could only get attention through acting out because he was overshadowed by Kate the cancer kid and Anna the miracle baby. Anna was never seen as an individual like Jesse or Kate. And Kate knew her siblings resented her and she never had many friends or life outside of her illness.

I wish we could have seen the other characters grieve and turn their lives around instead of just hearing about it from Kate.

As much as the ending frustrates me I liked it a lot.

[Maddie]

Cat wrote: "While reading the book I really thought that it would be Kate or Jesse who would die and never considered that Anna might be the one to die.

I liked that the novel ended with Kate narrating. It w..."

YES! I agree with you a lot. I wanted Anna to have choice, but also help her sister. However, I feel like the ending was too rushed. She died just like that, out of the blue. Like, seriously? I think it was a great way (not being odd or strange but in a way...) to end a book. Anna fought so dang hard to be free, and then she died. It's kind of sad and bittersweet in a way. She way dying by making her sister live, and that's a wonderful thing to do, even if her mother was forcing her to. And personally, if I had to pick a child to die, Jesse. His parents don't care about him, since it's Kate Kate Kate all the time, and everything revolves around her. It makes sense, it truly does, but pay attention to your kid for God's sake! Anyway, I loved this book and balled at many parts. But in the end, it was a fabulous book, a bit of tweaking needed, but a definite 5 star rating was deserved. Well done Jodi Picoult, well done.

[Lilly]

I was shocked and emotional at the ending since it was so sudden and unexpected. However, I think it was brilliant as an author's point of view. Everyone was expecting Kate to die, and BAM minutes after winning the trial, Anna dies. As a reader, I was angry and frustrated that most of the story was focused on winning the the case and then shortly Anna died. I felt very little sympathy for Sara, and thought Brian was the parent who actually cared about Anna. Sara gave up on Jesse and rarely even paid attention to Anna. She did her duties as Anna's mother but only the basic minimum. Her main attention was focused on Kate even until the end. It was ironic how Anna ended up saving Kate one last time even though Kate initially wanted to save Anna.

[Dramapuppy]

Lilly wrote: "I was shocked and emotional at the ending since it was so sudden and unexpected. However, I think it was brilliant as an author's point of view. Everyone was expecting Kate to die, and BAM minutes ..."

I agree; the ending fit. I feel sympathetic to Sara, though. She'd be condemned no matter what she did. You're supposed to do everything in your power to save your child. It was wrong of her to ignore her other children, and that's what the ending taught her. I think she'll develop into a better character after the part of the story we see. Yes, she has flaws, but she loved her children and trauma like that is damaging to morals.

[Tuhshya]

It was too unfair for anna to die after everything.For me it was like I was about to burst with happiness one moment and crying my heart out the next.But I cant deny that the book was really good.

[Booknerd13531]

This is totally unlike me, but I liked the movie's ending better. Though, and we discussed this when we discussed it in lit class, I wish they had Anna realize she did save her sister. I think it keeps the "life isn't fair" element. I didn't like the book ending because the car crash had no set up and came out of no where

[Dramapuppy]

Booknerd13531 wrote: "This is totally unlike me, but I liked the movie's ending better. Though, and we discussed this when we discussed it in lit class, I wish they had Anna realize she did save her sister. I think it k..."

"Came out of nowhere" That's the point. Anna's parents never expected her to die young, so they didn't love her. They thought they would have time for her later. Anna had to die to reenforce the message that all life is precious and fleeting.

She didn't really need to realize that she saved her sister. Inside, she knew she always would. Her death reminds us that she never had a real choice. Think about her character- there's no way she would have withheld the organ. She just wanted to give it on her own terms. She didn't get to do that. Her parents had already messed up and taught her that Kate was more important because she was dying. This way, her parents' mistake was highlighted to them. They learned what they did wrong.

[Janet]

I hate the book's ending. Not only it renders what Anna did throughout the whole book for naught in the end it feels like it reinforces the fact that in the end that Anna's only purpose was to keep Kate alive, not a living person that can live her own life and happiness without needing to be defined through only her sister. Not only that it sounded it like Anna might decide to give Kate a kidney out of her free will instead of obligation in the end. The author didn't have to kill her off to do that.

[Belinda]

Brigid ✩ Cool Ninja Sharpshooter ✩ wrote: "Actually, I agree. I think the book would have been more impressive if Picoult had found a way to end the book where neither of them died; it was just so predictable that someone had to die at the ..."

It just debated the topic so well and then to have an unrealistic ending with Kate surviving just undid all that good work. These parents had suffered enough and Kate was on her death bed. So unrealistic.

[Maddie]

I would have rather had Anna live and Kate live and then have the mom and dad just deal with the fact that Anna might have hated them. Anna deserved to live as an individual with rights and yet she really only existed for her sister. I mean Kate even told Anna that she didn't want the kidney transplant and then when Anna died Kate was already dying and I feel like she would have wanted to die and be with her sister. I also was curious about what happened to Jesse in the end though? They mention Kate all grown up but don't mention Jesse.

[Cherie]

I liked the movie better I think it's more of a realistic tale of childhood cancer.

[Lissa]

Sophia wrote: "At the closure of this book anna gets what she wants but life takes her away from her just as quick. Though life may not be fair at all times, this time it crossed the line. I think none of them sh..."

I really liked the whole book, even though it's really sad. Honestly, I didn't expect that kind of death to Anna, so it came to me as a shock. felt pity for the family, they have gone through so much and Anna's death added to it. :( :( ;( It's my favourite book and Jodi Picoult my favourite author.

[Khushboo]

How their parents have suffered seeing their daughter Kate going through this much, they decide to give birth to a new child who is our Anna. I know this sounds a little cliche but somewhere around their minds, everyone knew that Anna was borne for Kate, for saving her life. All through Anna's life too, her body is used(this seems insensitive but I'm trying to be clear here) for her sister's treatment. So much so that when Anna finally decides to fight for here own freedom and life, everyone stands against her and in the end as we see, she dies in the accident. The readers also begin to question, was Anna meant to live on her own? Or was she just meant to be in the world for her sister and beyond that she had no purpose?