On Reading Jodi Picoult

With all the hype on one of Jodi Picoult's books being made into a movie, I thought it quite coincidental that this was also the first of her (many) books that I've read. The book is, of course, "My Sister's Keeper," which I first saw in a bookstore 3 years ago.

I was quite intrigued by the ethical and moral dilemmas posed by the book's premise of a girl being conceived via IVF and genetically engineered to be a match for her older sister, who had been diagnosed with leukemia. The girl, who just wants to be a "normal" kid, undergoes numerous medical procedures for her sister's sake, even donating blood and bone marrow. At 13, she is expected to donate one of her organs for her sister. She then sues for medical emancipation, or the right to decide how her own body is used. This causes an unimaginable rift within her family.

I decided to buy the book and give it a shot, even if I thought at the time that it was a tad too drama-filled for my taste.

I was hooked. True, it did have its share of poignant moments that could rival any of Pinoy TV's telenovelas. The ending was something I did not expect (there is now also a hue-and-cry about the film version's deviating from the original ending in the book -- I wonder how the movie would treat it). But it did also raise a number of difficult questions, those that would make you ask yourself if you would do the "right" thing (or whether you actually knew what "right" actually was), ones that did not have cut-and-dried answers, questions that you wish you would never have to face in your own life.

After this book I knew I would have to have her other books as well. And so the bookworm (or bibliophile?) in me scoured the bookshops for her works. All her books feature the same mix of ethical and legal issues and family drama. Heavy reading at times, but worth it in the end. I now have all of her books, except for her latest, "Handle with Care", which has yet to hit the shelves here in my part of the woods -- hopefully it makes an appearance here soon!

What can I say? I'm unabashedly a fan.