The 5 novels that prove a Jodi Picoult book should be your next read | Books | Entertainment
Getting lost in a world between pages never gets old and can often feel like a luxury to those busy working or raising families. So for those looking for their next literary adventure, here are five examples of why best-selling writer of My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult, is worth trying this season.
After publishing a list of 70 best books suited for seniors, website ‘I Just Retired… Now What?’ awarded Picoult’s Small Great Things third place. Achieving a rating of 4.36/5 stars on Goodreads, the text draws on empathy, compassion and rage at the American judicial system. It explores the race-divide between its Black protagonist, a delivery nurse, and the white supremacist parents she’s been assigned. But this novel really is just the tip of the iceberg of Picoult’s excellence.
Being one of the first authors I became enamoured with, aged 12, here are a list of my favourites.
The Storyteller
Published in 2013, The Storyteller is a novel I have read time and time again. A source of comfort, romance, faith and overcoming grief, the story of Sage Singer is one I will never forget. The main character works nights as a baker due to her insecurities over a lasting scar on her cheek, remnants of the accident that killed her mother. Unable to move past her guilt, heroine Sage meets a German survivor of the Holocaust during a local support group. The twist? Her sweet, elderly friend is not exactly as he appears.
Keeping Faith
Following the theme of religion, Keeping Faith is a close second for me. Whilst given a 3.82/5 on Goodreads, I believe this novel provides brilliant discourse on the Athiest argument: if there was a God, why is there so much world suffering? When a daughter of a Jewish mother and her Episcopalian ex-husband develops an imaginary friend, who she insists is God, believers and critics swarm to her rural home.
With an alarming lack of privacy, a court case for child custody and an undeniable spark with the TV star that makes his fame by debunking religious fanatics, Faith’s mother Mariah must decide what and who can keep her child the most safe. This novel is deeply human, Picoult’s depiction of female characters is varied and believable.
Lone Wolf
A 4.3/5 on Amazon, this story follows a man’s connection to the wild. First working with wolves in an enclosure, dad Luke enters a coma that places his family in an impossiple position: do they save their father’s life or let him go, assuming he would never be happy if he’s unable to return to his four-legged friends.
Dissecting the strains of a ‘broken’ family, and the memories of Luke’s canine obsession that led to his demise, daughter Cara must fight against all who would tear her and her father apart. Though a decade has passed since I read this novel, I have often reflected on the unique idea of Picoult’s lead (quite literally) running with wolves.
Second Glance
Perhaps an option for October’s spooky season, Second Glance follows a paranormal activity investigator Ross and the unknown Lia Beaumont, as they search for evidence of something between life and death. Appearing unable to die, Ross develops a connection with the mystery figure, only to discover that her history may be the reason that keeps them apart. Picoult’s nod to Native American culture is insightful
Songs of The Humpback Whale
Perhaps the lowest rated of Picoult’s books, given a 3.22/5 by Goodreads users, Songs of the Humpback Whale claims that “sometimes finding your own voice is a matter of listening to the heart…”. An explosive argument leads Jane Jones on a cross-country road trip away from her husband, taking her teen daughter Rebecca with her. With a set of letters from her brother, Jane and Rebecca end up in his apple farm in Massachusetts.
Rediscovering herself beyond the shadow of her child-sweetheart Oliver, known to be a keen photographer of the humpback whale, the mother and daughter find more than their voices; they discover love. Will Oliver be too late?
