I read maybe 1/3 of this book before I gave up. I don't care for the writing, the characters (the mom is a TOTAL bitch), anything about this book. I will say that I skipped through and read the last several pages to see what happened, to see if the book had the same ending as the movie (it doesn't.) I read this one in paperback, but I have another book by Jodi Picoult (Plain Truth) on my e-reader, and if it's anything like this one, I won't be reading it all the way through, either. ( )

This book broke me. I ugly cried and it's been a very long time since I have read a book that brought that sort of reaction out of me.

I will never read it again but I am very glad that I read it this one time. The characters were so damn real. Anna...spunky, independent but my heart ached for her. I felt so bad for Jesse too. Don't get me wrong, I felt bad for Kate too, but I figured she had her mom all up in feelings so she didn't me too much. Dad...well, he was rather checked out for most of the story, if I am honest. Going back to mom. I was not a fan of her even though I absolutely empathize with her situation. Dealing with a child that has cancer...I can't even imagine. But I DO KNOW that you can't just let the rest of your family cease to exist as way of coping. I felt better about her character towards the end, a little. I enjoyed the side story of Campbell, Julia and Judge. That was a nice positive in a very sad and dark book. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, read the book first. I am going to watch the movie now, but I am glad I did the book first. ( )

I did not expect this ending!!! I cried my eyes out.

Loved it. ( )

My Sister's Keeper

By Jodi Picoult

Published year : 2004

Page count : 412

Medium used : Paperback

Genre : Court Room Drama, Family Issues, Fiction, 2023-read.

Rating : 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The twist at the end is jarring. I was pretty unmoved and really reading with some detachment, counting the time it is taking me to finish this novel, because the course of action to be taken is so obvious to me but everyone in the story is just clueless and acting in order to complicate matters. But the ending is a gut punch and I didn't see it coming! It shows the hand of God playing in our lives everyday.

Till the last few pages, the author has us believe that the parents - especially the mother - are callous enough to just focus on one of their three children and literally throw the other two into winds of non existence. They were so concerned with the health and well being of their second daughter Kate that they will go to any distance, put their other daughter Anna through any amount of discomfort and misery to make Kate well. It all felt surreal and fiendish. But then it turns out that Anna herself is operating under the directions of someone else and she is just as vulnerable, clueless, indecisive as her parents and brother Jesse.

The courtroom brawl is a bit different - they are verbal interrogations as opposed to any presentation of evidence etc. Those episodes were emotionally triggering and very touching. The lengths some can go to preserve something damaged and forgetting that the damaged person might themselves not want to be preserved in their state - is an all too common happening it feels like.

Despite everything, providence/God will do everything for a reason and he makes things fall into place perfectly. The child that has been born and reared for the explicit purpose of keeping her sister safe and alive does just that. :) Unforgettable novel - if only for the different plot setting and including terms like "designer babies" , "kidney donation", "sacrifice one daughter's future for the benefit of another". ( )

So upseting and hard to take at times and yet I couldn't put it down. Not sure how I feel about the ending. ( )