Handle With Care (↑)

I attempted to read another book before this one, and I just couldn't do it. It was as if the author was trying to make the novel as suspenseful as she could, but instead, it made the novel just seem silly. Suspenseful novels are suppose to be natural, not forced, and that one was definitely forced. Anyway, this past weekend I went on a trip to Maine, and during that trip I read a Jodi Picoult novel, Handle With Care. It was a magnificent novel. Although, I had to read most of it while listening to Blue Collar Comedy Channel while we were driving. I'm not one to read with music (nonetheless talking) occurring, I wasn't able to focus very well. I was still able to get the gist of what was going on in most of the chapters I read. This novel deals with a controversial subject (like most of her novels do), and she handles it perfectly! She didn't force me to choose sides within the novel, but rather allowed us to come to our own decisions about the outcome.  I doubt many people would become offended (hopefully anyway) but it's hard to be sure.

Anyway, this novel is about a family who had a child born with a severe bone abnormality (osteogenesis imperfecta) which caused her to have severe disabilities during her life. On a family vacation, something comes about that causes the mother to decide to sue her obstetrician (who's also her best friend at the time) for wrongful birth. Wrongful birth means that parent was not given the choice to abort the child because they were not informed of the child's deformities before birth, and the severe disabilities the child would have. Although it sounds like a horrible lawsuit, the mother was really only doing it for the money so that her daughter could lead a fulfilling life she should be allowed to live. Anyway, it follows the family throughout the lawsuit, switching between the characters, all talking to the little girl, explaining their thoughts on the matter, along with what's happening.

The one thing I didn't really enjoy about the novel is that it follows a very standard style, that Jodi Picoult established in her previous novels. It always follows a mother who's doing what she does to protect 1 of her children, while ignoring the other. It also always finishes with a twist, and a quick one, as if she didn't know how to finish it, or didn't want to finish it with a happy ending. This complaint is only a minor one, so I can't hate her novels (mostly because I enjoy the subject matter too much). All in all, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to my friends. I'm going to read another one of her novels for the next blog. Until then, Happy Reading!