My Sister’s Keeper

Many reviews on GR mentioned that this book has a truly terrible ending. Maybe, in hindsight, I should’ve seen it coming, but alas, I didn’t. The way things ultimately ended truly shocked me to the core. The book, for the most part, was great. I found myself constantly asking myself, if I were Ana, Sarah, Kate, Brian, or even Jessie, what actions would I have taken? I’m not going to go into the details here, as most of you are already familiar with the story. I just want to express my deep disappointment that the author failed so miserably after presenting such a great dilemma. However, I’m still giving it 3 stars for the first 95% of the story. I only dropped my rating by 1 star due to that unfortunate ending.

Even with that rather ridiculous conclusion, I would still highly recommend this book if you’re in search of a story set in our modern times that will make you question yourself. I listened to the audiobook, and if you’re looking for a good audio experience, this one won’t disappoint. The story is told from multiple points of view, and each perspective is narrated by a different person, which adds an interesting layer to the overall listening experience.

Sometimes to get what you want the most, you have to do what you want the least.

This profound statement holds true in many aspects of life.

I was in middle school when the movie adaptation of this book was released. At that time, I had no clue about the inspiration that lay behind this deeply moving film. What I vividly remember is sitting in the movie theater, constantly wiping away the tears that streamed down my face. After delving into this book, I can assert with confidence: Jodi Picoult is a remarkable writer. Her stories have an uncanny ability to capture the essence of the human spirit. Every character in this book felt so real and alive. When I read about Anna and Kate, it evoked a sense of nostalgia for my preteen years - a period that was tumultuous and complex, to say the least.

For those of you who have never had the pleasure of reading this book or watching the movie, "My Sister's Keeper" is a captivating exploration of law, family, and medicine. It tells the story of Kate, a teenage girl battling Leukaemia, and her younger sister Anna, who was genetically engineered to be a perfect donor match for Kate. Whenever Kate falls ill, Anna selflessly donates her blood and bone marrow. However, when Anna is asked to donate her kidney, she takes the drastic step of filing a lawsuit against her parents for medical emancipation.

While I did enjoy this book - and the performance of the audiobook was truly AMAZING - it left me with a slight sense of underwhelm. Perhaps I am being overly critical, but after reading Picoult's latest novel, "Small Great Things", I approached this book with high expectations. Unfortunately, it lacked the depth of introspection and the emotional tug that I was hoping for. Nevertheless, this was still a good book that delved into a plethora of important issues related to family, morality, and medical ethics. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who has a penchant for reading contemporary adult novels.

This book has received a plethora of mixed reviews.

I, however, truly enjoyed this book. In fact, I was so deeply affected by it that I found it heart wrenching and upsetting.

As I delved into the pages, a multitude of emotions surged through me. There was a particular part of the book where I actually felt quite full, perhaps due to the intensity of the feelings it evoked.

It's important to note that this isn't my usual genre. Nevertheless, I have a penchant for Jodi's books, as they typically have a moral at the core of the story.

I awarded this book 5 stars solely based on the powerful emotions I experienced while reading it. However, upon reflection, I have to admit that the storyline is rather unbelievable.

Despite this, it's still worth a read, and I'm glad I took the opportunity to do so.

Who knows, maybe others will have a different perspective and find the story more engaging and believable than I did.

This book made me cry more than just about any other book I have ever read. It has such a profound impact on me that I own a hardback copy, which I cherish dearly. I often think about reading it again, but I'm not sure if I have the courage.

The movie adaptation is different in its own way. It managed to tug at my heartstrings even more than the book. I remember when I went to see it in the theater, I carried a whole box of kleenex with me. The story on the big screen was so powerful and emotional that I couldn't hold back my tears.

Both the book and the movie are truly remarkable in their ability to evoke such strong emotions. They have left a lasting impression on me and will always be among my favorites. I highly recommend them to anyone who loves a good cry and a touching story.

Y’all just weren’t gonna tell me about Jodi Picoult? Real cool guys. I mean, seriously, how could you keep this amazing author a secret from me? Jodi Picoult is known for her thought-provoking and deeply emotional novels that explore complex themes and relationships. Her stories have the power to draw you in and make you feel every single emotion the characters are experiencing. Whether it’s a story about love, loss, family, or justice, Jodi Picoult has a way of making it come alive on the page. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on her work all this time. But now that I know, I can’t wait to dive in and start reading. So, thanks a lot for finally clueing me in, even if it took you long enough.

Well, I'm officially having an existential crisis!!!! Someone send help!!!

One of the things that crossed my mind while reading was:

Is it truly essential to persist in fighting for something when it comes at the expense of your own comfort? For instance, is it worthwhile to battle for your life, to prolong it even in the face of a miserable outcome? If I can't truly live my life, is life really better than death? Why is death so feared? Is it truly the essence of tragedy or simply because it is unknown? Hypothetically speaking, if I were in Kate's position, I think I might have preferred death over watching everyone else live their lives and leave me behind. But in reality, who knows? When you're in that situation, you end up doing things you least expect!!

Another major question was:

What does it mean to be a parent? Does it grant us the right to oppose our children's wishes? Is doing what subjectively appears to be right actually the correct thing to do? Can we consider this a form of manipulation? Or is it an instinct to overly protect them while controlling them in the process? What rights does the "Parent" title bestow upon us?

Of course, I spent approximately THE WHOLE BOOK loathing Sarah (the mother), but I thought perhaps as the story advanced, I would understand why she did the things she had done. Disclaimer: The further you read, the angrier you'll get!!!

Like, why can't she take a step back and think for a moment? Then I said to myself that maybe I can't truly comprehend what she's going through because I'm not a mother. But I can still perceive her struggle, the dilemma she's in, how she's being torn apart from the inside out in complete silence. But sometimes, all this buildup just explodes in your face!

Can we label what she's doing as love or is selfishness a more appropriate term? Or is love inherently selfish from the start?

And then the ending arrived… (IYKYK)

This is when I descended into despair!!!

One thing I really desired but was lacking was seeing the mother's POV after what occurred at the end. Did she regret her choices? Did she lose her mind attempting to figure out what happened? It would have been fascinating.

But I truly believe it was remarkable being able to read the multiple POVs. It's as if you obtain a small piece from each of them, which leaves you so conflicted with your own thoughts that you don't know what to do anymore.

At the end of the day, I emerged with two conclusions, which are:

1. We're all doing our best regardless of the outcome.

2. We have control over nothing; we can't prevent the inevitable. Call it destiny or whatever, but it makes me question, is fulfilling our purpose really the end of us?

P.S: The epilogue needs to win a Nobel prize!!! I don't care; the accuracy is out of this world. The way everything is described!! My favorite part of the whole book!!!!

Spoiler Alert. This review contains spoilers.

I absolutely loathed this book. The only reason I persisted in reading it was to uncover the mystery behind why Campbell, the lawyer, had a service dog, as he guarded that secret so closely.

I detested the clichés. Julia choosing that exact moment to burst through the door, Anna speaking up precisely then, and Rita gagging on the bad writing at that very instant were all too predictable.

The overwrought melodrama was unbearable. Every page was drenched in heavy-handed, tear-jerking prose, making the book feel soggy and almost dripping with sentimentality. Around the halfway point, I resorted to skimming, searching for dialogue relevant to the plot. Brian's fire metaphors, Sara's reminiscing about the kids' childhoods, Campbell's backflashes about Julia, Julia's pathetic nature in every conceivable way, and Anna's cluelessness all became incredibly dull. If I was ever going to learn the truth about Campbell's dog, I had to get through the material more quickly. Putting the book down to groan out loud every few paragraphs was taking far too long.

The characters were one-dimensional and irritating. They were like paper dolls, given name tags, dressed in stereotypes, and provided with lines to recite (along with melodramatic thoughts to express). It was as if, "This is the mom, a martyr who always puts her children first... she's a good mother, but she got blinded by trying to be too good, so now she seems kind of bad. But we'll be on her side in the end because of her deep insight." Wiggle the mom paper doll and have her blah, blah, blah, and then, "Over here is the Big Bad Lawyer doll... ooooh, he's a ruthless go-getter with a hazy past, but he'll have some secrets to reveal at the end, so we'll realize he's a decent, stand-up guy after all." Wiggle the lawyer paper doll and have him blah, blah, blah, and so on.

The plot was mediocre until the big Law and Order courtroom twist at the end. That was just a convenient trick to avoid actually attempting to find a solution to such a dilemma. The author built it up to a point where there was no way out that would satisfy the audience, no good way to wrap it up, so she resorted to a last-minute gimmick. Then she took it a step further and did something that some might consider bold, but it just made me shout a string of obscenities and then made me grateful that I had only skimmed the second half of the book and didn't really invest in it at all. Otherwise, I would have been furious with such an ending.

This is the second Jodi Picoult book I've attempted to read. I didn't like the other one (Vanishing Acts) either, so I guess I won't be reading anything else by this author.

This is one of those remarkable books that has sparked numerous discussions about the ethical and moral dilemmas Jodi Picoult endeavored to explore since its publication in 2005. The author delves into one of the most complex topics within medical ethics through this engaging novel.

She unfolds the story of Anna and her sister Kate. Anna, now thirteen, has endured countless surgeries and medical procedures for her older sister Kate, who is battling leukemia. It's a heart-wrenching fact that Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate. When one person's entire existence hinges on and is defined by another, a plethora of problems begin to surface, leading Anna to make a momentous decision that sets off a tumultuous chain of events for the entire family.

What I learned from this book

1) Why there is no word in English for parents who lose a child? Losing a child is one of the most excruciating pains a human can endure. Astonishingly, there is still no specific word in English for parents who have suffered such a loss. I contemplated this very topic during my medical school days and even conducted some research on it. To my surprise, I discovered that many other languages also lack a similar term. So, I was delighted to see Jodi Picoult aptly address this issue in this novel. Years after its publication, Professor Karla Holloway from Duke University coined the term vilomah (of Sanskrit origin, meaning against a natural order) for such parents. However, it is not yet globally used or widely accepted and included in many dictionaries. (There have even been multiple petitions to include vilomah in the dictionaries).

“In the English language there are orphans and widows, but there is no word for the parents who lose a child.”

2) The importance of nurses in an oncology ward. The author vividly描绘s the diligent nature of nurses in this novel. Ever since my birth, I have witnessed the extraordinary work done by nurses. Both my parents being doctors and I being their only child, all my vacations were spent either in hospitals with nurses or in their homes with their children when I was young. After becoming a doctor myself, my respect for them has only grown with each passing day of working alongside them. Thus, I can easily relate to what the author describes about nurses in this novel.

"An oncology ward is a battlefield, and there are definite hierarchies of command. The patients, they're the ones doing the tour of duty. The doctors breeze in and out like conquering heroes, but they need to read your child's chart to remember where they've left off from the previous visit. It is the nurses who are the seasoned sergeants -- the ones who are there when your baby is shaking with such a high fever she needs to be bathed in ice, the ones who can teach you how to flush a central venous catheter, or suggest which patient floor might still have Popsicles left to be stolen, or tell you which dry cleaners know how to remove the stains of blood and chemotherapies from clothing. The nurses know the name of your daughter's stuffed walrus and show her how to make tissue paper flowers to twine around her IV stand. The doctors may be mapping out the war games, but it is the nurses who make the conflict bearable."

3) The invisible bond between the siblings and mother. The bond between Anna and Kate is the highlight of this novel. You'll laugh, get angry, and even cry with them. Despite the many negatives in the story, the way the author portrays their bond makes this novel truly special. You'll also cherish the bond between Kate and her mother. However, I'm not so sure about the love between Anna and her mother.

"If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one? Or are you always a sister, even when the other half of the equation is gone?"

"I have a sister, so I know - that relationship, it's all about fairness: you want your sibling to have exactly what you have - the same amount of toys, the same number of meatballs on your spaghetti, the same share of love. But being a mother is completely different. You want your child to have more than you ever did. You want to build a fire underneath her and watch her soar. It's bigger than words."

My favourite three lines from this book

“You're not a bad person because you want to be yourself.”

“Seeing her sitting there unresponsive makes me realize that silence has a sound.”

“A jewel's just a rock put under enormous heat and pressure. Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look.”

What could have been better?

1) Too many cooks spoil the broth The multiple POVs in this novel are both its strength and weakness. While one POV offers a maternal perspective, another presents an ethical viewpoint. The author deliberately attempts to view the story from various angles to provide a unique reading experience. However, the problem arises when an excessive number of unnecessary POVs disrupt the narrative flow, leaving readers confused and hindering the smooth progression of the story. Sometimes, we encounter contrasting perspectives within a single POV, making us love and hate that character simultaneously. The sheer number of POVs and their diverse mannerisms can utterly baffle the reader.

"I learn from my own daughter that you don't have to be awake to cry."

"I... understand how a parent might hit a child - it's because you can look into their eyes and see a reflection of yourself that you wish you hadn't."

2) Schizoid and avoidant personality disorders. As a reader, I was dismayed to read the lines below, which reveal the harsh truth that the author seemed to have no clear understanding of the difference between schizoid and avoidant personality disorders. In schizoid personality disorder, individuals generally lack interest in interacting with others. They choose not to interact because they simply don't want to. In avoidant personality disorder, people渴望relationships but avoid them due to the fear of rejection.

"Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it's not because they enjoy solitude. It's because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them."

3) Conflict between ethics and moral values, love, and law. As a doctor, I can never concur with what Anna's mother was advocating. Although we may attempt to morally justify her actions, from an ethical perspective, it is one of the most absurd situations. I would rate her character a mere 0/5. On the other hand, I would give Anna's and Kate's characters a perfect 5/5.

“The answer is that there is no good answer. So as parents, as doctors, as judges, and as a society, we fumble through and make decisions that allow us to sleep at night - because morals are more important than ethics, and love is more important than law."

Rating 3/5 If evaluated solely from an ethical standpoint, this book would receive a zero-star rating. However, when considering the sibling relationship aspect, it merits a five-star rating. Overall, I would give it a three-star rating. If you have a penchant for reading books that involve family drama, this would be a worthwhile choice.