In all modesty, I would like to take credit for Jodie Picoult’s recent fame; I have been telling people about her for years. This past month her SING YOU HOME was on the bestsellers list and I feel maybe I had a small part in her success.
Once again, Ms Picoult has taken a controversial news story and turned it into a riveting novel. She has the ability to put a very human face on very somber subjects.
Zoe Baxter and her husband Max have not been successful in their attempts to start a family, and after years of disappointments, Max has filed for a divorce.
Zoe is a music therapist, a person who helps to relieve the pain of the ill and the dying. After the death of her unborn child and the divorce of her husband, she throws herself in to her job. While trying to help a troubled teenager, she becomes friends with Vanessa, the school counselor. Their friendship develops into love, marriage, and a legal battle over the frozen fertilized eggs that Max and Zoe jointly owned.
As per Ms. Picoult's usual style, the book is written in the voices of each main character: Zoe, Max, and Vanessa. Just when you start thinking that one of the characters is the heavy, his or her story is told. This gives the reader a chance to connect with all three people.
Max is a sympathetic character. He is a recovering alcoholic and it is easy to root for him. His new church and its pastor really do help him to get his life back together.
Zoe has her music and her mother for support. Her relationships with her patients make for some of the most interesting parts of the book.
The book does lack a sense of balance on the subject of frozen embryos and the legality of same sex marriages. The contrast between the lawyers is a good example. Zoe’s lawyer is a young woman full of righteous zeal; Max’s is a little slimy.
The witnesses also were almost stereotyped. Max’s church becomes a big part of his defense. They organize pickets, use the local media to stir up hate, etc. Zoe’s friends are shown as sensible people who are under attack. The book could have used a moderate view along the way. All church members are not part of the far right and all educated people are not liberals.
The book includes a CD to be played at given points in the story. An interesting idea, but I do not know if it was needed.
Ms Picoult is known for her surprise endings--the ones that make you think that there might be more to the story. This ending was pretty much what I expected. All in all, SING YOU HOME was not my favorite Picoult, but still it was an interesting read.
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