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May 01, 2009
Jodi Picoult: Need I Say More?
If you haven't read a Jodi Picoult (pronounced "peek- o") book, it's not too late to catch the wave. Great writing aside (because that's a must for me to ever recommend an author), her plots are issue-based and her characters are more than three-dimensional; after just a few pages, you feel as if you've known them all of your life.
If you choose to read only one of Picoult's titles, I recommend you reach for My Sister's Keeper (2004). Why? Because, among other features, the author leaves you with no choice but to read to the end. Because you have to know what happens.
Ah, it is the sign of great fiction. For what is the number one goal of authors? To entertain, that is to please readers by keeping them reading all the way to the end.
Admittedly, I am a reader who feels no obligation to finish a book. I generally give it 50 pages (sometimes 100), and if, by then, I'm not fully engaged, I plop the book in a 9" x 12" envelope and drop it on my neighbor's front porch. (She just had an in-ground pool installed and she gets her money's worth for the investment by reading poolside five months of the year!)
Of Jodi Picoult's 15 best-selling novels, why did I choose My Sister's Keeper? First, I haven't read them all. But foremost, of the titles I have read, this one was the most compelling for me. The intensity of the must-find-out-what-happens drive is high throughout. Here's a quick summary of why (without giving it away, for those of you who haven't read it yet).
The protagonist, Anna, is a thirteen-year old girl who has undergone many medical procedures in order to help her older sister Kate battle leukemia. Anna was originally conceived and given birth to because she was a bone marrow match for her sibling. (Remember that story from the news, hence yielding the issue-driven plot?)
In short, early in the story, the protagonist meets with a lawyer because she wants to protest the next procedure request by her parents: To donate a kidney to Kate.
At this point, the reader is hooked and remains so because one of four outcomes can occur:
1. Anna can refuse to donate the kidney and Kate can die.
2. Anna can refuse to give the kidney and Kate could somehow survive (another donor, a miracle, etc).
3. Anna can change her mind, donate the kidney, and Kate can live.
4. Anna can offer the kidney and Kate can die anyway.
Do you see why I, as a reader, just had to know? What's most interesting, though is that Picoult throws in a twist that I never saw coming -- with an ending that leaves readers gasping in their chairs.
The book is now going to be released as a major motion picture. It will hit theaters on June 26, featuring such stars as Cameron Diaz, Alec Baldwin and more. In an interview I saw recently with Picoult for Barnes & Noble, the interviewer mentioned that the ending was changed for the movie version. I'm disappointed as this was my favorite part of the book, mostly because it caught me off guard. I never saw it coming.
I bring up this point because I believe, as writers, we should expect as much of ourselves. Often in my consultations with writers, I like to demand this level of intensity of plot from them. Together, we push the plot limits until the stakes are higher, for the protagonist, the antagonist and everyone in between (all the while holding true to the characters). It's a challenge and I present it as a goal, here, for which we all, fiction and nonfiction writers alike, should strive to achieve.
Leave mediocre behind and amaze your readers.
Do you have a favorite Picoult novel? Or is there another author whose work you just can't put down? If so, can you pinpoint why? (Commenters, please don't spoil the ending for those who might not have read any of the books you choose to mention. Thanks!)
Can't wait to hear from you!
Judy
P.S. I apologize for the lack of links in this post. I recently downloaded Google Chrome and it changed a lot of my settings. I seem to have lost my little linky-thingies that allowed me to easily paste in links, italics, etc. -- Cindy, oh Great Web Designer, HELP!
So, for more information on Jodi Picoult and all her fabulous titles, you can simply google her! Thanks for understanding.
Posted by Judy at May 1, 2009 09:51 AM
Comments
I have read everyone of her books. She is great with her characters but I am more impressed with the issues that she deals with. I think she is definitely at the top of her game for researching her topics. She knows what she is doing. When you read her books...she doesn't do the obvious and in the end...her twist and turns make you, the reader deal with some interesting issues and questions.
Posted by: Mary Gauntner at May 1, 2009 11:38 AM
Jodi has been one of my 'writing idols' for years. I buy her books the first day they come out, then e-mail her to let her know in-depth what I thought ~ and she always writes back to me within a half-hour or so. She explains plot decisions I question, and anything I bring up, really. She's kind and witty, and a real class act. I can't believe they changed the end of the movie... I hate it when Hollywood dumbs things down for fear we might not be able to handle it, as they did with "The Golden Compass."
Two books I've particularly enjoyed were "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield and "The Lace Reader" by Brunonia Barry. Both had a gothic feel to them, extremely strong characters and breathless, unexpected plot twists I never guessed. Also, "What the Dead Know" by Laura Lippman was pretty good.
Posted by: Lisa Benwitz at May 1, 2009 01:42 PM
how early into the book does the reader know these things? Great post, Judy--this book is beside my bed vying for my attention!! Now I have something to study!
Posted by: kathie at May 1, 2009 02:53 PM
Hi Judy! I hope you are doing well.
I am a HUGE fan of Jodi Picoult. I've learned so much from her books in terms of writing style and story building. She's one of the few authors I completely trust as a reader, too. Even though her books deal with some touchy issues, I trust that she will handle it all with grace and compassion.
My favorites so far have been Nineteen Minutes and My Sister's Keeper. I'm excited about the movie, but I have to admit I'm disappointed the ending was changed.
Posted by: Kristine at May 1, 2009 09:53 PM
Thanks for your great comments! You are a true fans, to have read every book and to buy them on the release dates. Mary, her twists definitely keep you as a reader on your toes. I'll admit that, when reading The Pact, I figured out the twist about halfway through the book. I think, however, I did so because I was expecting the unexpected. I knew she wouldn't write the ending I initially thought she'd write.
Lisa, I think it's so exciting that Jodi Picoult answers your plot questions, etc. She sounds like such an interesting, organized woman, aside from being an unbelievably talented writer. I have not read any of the books you mentioned and will definitely look them up. I have read Laura Lippman, however, and enjoy her pacing.
Kathie, I read My Sister's Keeper many years ago, so you're testing my memory in asking when the "big" questions arise. I want to say that by a quarter of the way through the book, you understand the dilemma the protagonist faces. You will enjoy her writing because the books are heavy in character and yet, for me, it's the plot that keeps me reading. I have to admit that My Sister's Keeper dragged a bit in the middle, but it was worth pushing through to get to that memorable ending!
Kristine, you and Mary are right about how Picoult handles the issues. She somehow presents both sides and leaves the reader deeply pondering in the end. I started to read Nineteen Minutes and became very bothered by the fact that the disturbed boy had such a good, sincere mother. As a mother myself, I found it difficult to digest. I didn't want that nice little boy to grow up to be a killer.
Right now, I'm reading Change of Heart and loving it! I know some of her loyal fans, who happen to be my family members, didn't like it so well. But when I saw my grown nephew, an aspiring high school principal, absorbed in the text, I put it on my To Be Read list. So far, it doesn't disappoint (although, I'll admit that it felt very "Green Mile"-ish in the beginning).
Thanks for an engaging conversation!
Have a great weekend!
Judy
Posted by: Judy Schneider at May 1, 2009 10:33 PM