REVIEWS

My Sister’s Keeper educates and unsettles

My Sister's Keeper by: Jodi Picoult Washington Square Press, 2005 ISBN# 0743454537 Paperback: 448 pages Interview with Jodi Picoult

At first, I thought I had chosen to read a book aimed at teenagers. How wrong I was! Jodi Picoult’s My Sister's Keeper is a novel whose theme is pulled from today's headlines. The New Hampshire writer weaves together medical, ethical, and moral considerations that caused me to think seriously, yes, think very seriously.

The story, by the 39-year-old mom of three, centers around Anna Fitzgerald, a 13-year-old girl. Anna was born a "designer baby." Her parents, Sara and Brian Fitzgerald, conceived Anna for the sole purpose of being a donor match for her sister, Kate, who has a rare form of leukemia. Every time Kate needs bone marrow (or any other bodily product), Anna is the donor. Over time, Anna begins to resent this process. Nonetheless, Anna is guilt ridden because she loves Kate and her family.

When Anna is asked to donate a kidney to Kate, Anna retains a lawyer to try to get her medical emancipation from her parents. This is how Campbell and his story become entwined with that of the Fitzgerald family.

Tension infiltrates the Fitzgerald household. Anna and Kate's brother, Jesse, is heavily involved with drugs and alcohol. He has also become obsessed with setting fires. Contrasted with the fact that their father, Brian Fitzgerald, is a firefighter, Jesse's pyromania gives the reader much food for thought.

There are no right or wrong answers with new advances in medicine; however, it does put people in the position of playing the role of the Higher Power when making life-altering decisions. Oh, that we had the wisdom of the ages to go with the power!

If you think there is beauty in sadness, you will find it in this award-winning novel. I was troubled by many of the ethical and moral issues including a very different conclusion to the book than I was expecting. Yet, I was captivated by the issues of the heart and mind of the members of the Fitzgerald family especially the poetic section about Brian Fitzgerald's love of astronomy.

Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper is not escapist chick lit. It is an emotional and graceful novel that will educate and unsettle you.

Chatting with Jodi Picoult
by: Sandra Pianin

SP: Brian, the father in My Sister's Keeper is a fireman. Can you comment on the sharp contrast between him and his son Jesse's pyromania?
JP: That's the definition of irony, isn't it? Plus, to give Jesse what he most needs and least expects (forgiveness) he has to break his own sense of morality, and not turn Jesse in.

SP: Why do you feel Brian loved astronomy so much?
JP: It's the one fire he can't put out. Fascinates him.

SP: Why was there a change in print font when each character spoke?
JP: To make it easier to follow. Some people are visual readers and need that extra cue.

SP: How did you get the idea of using a service dog to help Campbell with his epilepsy?
JP: I met someone once at a theme park who had a service dog for epilepsy and found it remarkable. I saved it for this book!

SP: Why didn't Sara give equal attention to her children?
JP: Well, I think she loves Anna deeply. Anna is her savior child. However, she gives up on Jesse because she just doesn't have the resources to deal with him, in the wake of Kate's crises. It's not something she's proud of...but most moms of very ill children say that often, that's the way it is--there's only so much you can handle, and the rest falls away.

SP: How did it feel to win the New England book prize for a body of work instead of a single book?
JP: Pretty amazing, given that I'm a New Englander by design not birth. It felt like I was being welcomed in permanently.

SP: How have the many ethical questions of My Sister's Keeper affected your writing in general?
JP: I went into MSK with my own opinions about stem cell research, and they didn't change during the writing; but I was reminded, as a mother, how lucky I am to have healthy children. I am most proud of the fact that often people read MSK and don't know whether I'm for or against stem cell research. That's a huge compliment, because it means I gave both sides of the argument fairly and equally.