Review: My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

I am a big lover of Jodi Picoults books. Her dramatic plot twists and captivating writing style keeps me hooked until the very last word. I give this book four stars, I was disappointed with the writing style, but found its content and theme fascinating, and it is an incredibly unique, thought-provoking topic, not something just anyone could come up with. 

My Sisters Keeper is a reference to the bible. Caine has just murdered Able, both of which are sons of Adam and Eve. God asks Cain where Able is to which he replies "I am not my brothers keeper", i.e I do not know. This parallels the story of the Fitzgerald family, Kate has leukemia. Her sister, Anna was born with a purpose, to be spare parts for her sister, and save her life. But Anna decides she’s had enough, and hires a lawyer to sue her parents for the rights to her own body. She will no longer be her Sisters Keeper.

The writing in this book was very heavily detail-orientated. It's obvious that Picoult spend many, many hours researching firefighting, astronomy, cancer and all matter of other subjects, for which she should be highly commended. I found the topic of medical emancipation and cloning to be very interesting, however I found it had all been put across in a rather rambling way. I couldn’t quite understand completely Campbells entries especially as they were too technical, and found my attention slipping. 

As the book was written from many characters perspectives, I found myself flipping sides, unable to come to a clear decision until the very end, a clever tactic in such a controversial book. I understood Saras reasons for using Anna to save Kates life, and at times found myself thinking that Anna was ever so slightly selfish for not thinking of Kates wellbeing. However, at times her mum, Sara, came across as hysterical and only thinking about Kates wellbeing, for example when she wouldn’t let Anna go to residential camp in case Kate went into relapse. Toward the end, though, once I realised it was Kates wish to be let go, I sympathized completely with Anna. I felt that she should have told the truth from the beginning, then she wouldn't have come off quite so self-centred. 

The decision of whether or not to use the body for medical purposes, however old the donor might be, lies with them alone. It’s not up to the parent, and the sick child would never be upset or feel betrayed if she decided not to go ahead with it. Being chronically ill myself, once I found out it was Kates wish not to receive the kidney, there was a very easy answer. Of course if I was a mother of a sick child then I might have a different view, any parent would do anything to keep their child alive, whatever the cost. Its very difficult to give equal attention to children when one is chronically ill and the other isn’t as dependent on you. The patient feels guilty for taking all their parents time and effort, so when the opportunity comes to take the pressure off the sibling, of course they'll take it. And parents are going to fight it, they want their child alive, it’s their job. But just how far do they go?

I think Picoult was clever in not including Kates perspective until right at the end. I would have liked things to have moved quicker, a lot of detail cut out, and a much more concise story. I also found the sub plot of Campbell and Julia falling in love was unnessesary, I felt it was clichéd and irrelevant.

Although the ending was unexpected, I was disappointed by it. I felt like the whole purpose of the story was that Anna wanted her voice was heard in a place where she felt like she was invisible. I wanted Anna to finally be heard, but the ethical and moral aspects of the story were completely abandoned. I feel Picoult took the easy way out in the end.

This is one of the rare moments where I actually say that I much preferred the movie than the book. I really find it much more touching. I didn’t cry at the book as there was too much technical jargon, but I did at the film as the ending had much more impact.

The book made incredibly grateful for my own sister. She does an awful lot for me when I’m sick, and she has to deal with not having her voice heard, and all the attention going on me, but until something brings it up, (like the book ‘Wonder’ by R.J Palacio), you don’t think about the effect it has on everyone else. I know she’d do anything for me, but I would never want her giving up her childhood for me.