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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I liked the idea of this book because of Jodi Picoult's attempt to raise awareness of Autism, but I don't think it was done very well. My son's social skills teacher warned me that the main character had EVERY symptom, and she wasn't kidding. Every symptom, quirk, obsession, tic and aspect of being social awkward is portrayed in one character and that is simply not the case in real life. They say if you've met one person with Autism, you've met one person with Autism, because each person displays Autism differently.
My big beef was the fact that Picoult's autism research is flawed and based on studies that have been debunked as completely fraudulent and have been that way for years. So now the casual reader who doesn't know anything about Autism thinks these crazy things because they read about it in a fiction book.
What's with everyone not asking Jacob what really happened? Seriously. He explains that he set up the crime scene, but no one thinks to ask WHY he did that? No one asks him what happened when he got to Jess's house. No one. It would have made a much shorter book, true, but this book did not have to be 600 pages long..
Yet despite the fact that Picoult goes on for 600 pages, the book just ends. What a crummy ending, with still a lot left unanswered. Reading books like these reminds me why I generally steer clear of adult fiction.
My big beef was the fact that Picoult's autism research is flawed and based on studies that have been debunked as completely fraudulent and have been that way for years. So now the casual reader who doesn't know anything about Autism thinks these crazy things because they read about it in a fiction book.
What's with everyone not asking Jacob what really happened? Seriously. He explains that he set up the crime scene, but no one thinks to ask WHY he did that? No one asks him what happened when he got to Jess's house. No one. It would have made a much shorter book, true, but this book did not have to be 600 pages long..
Yet despite the fact that Picoult goes on for 600 pages, the book just ends. What a crummy ending, with still a lot left unanswered. Reading books like these reminds me why I generally steer clear of adult fiction.
Picoult clearly did extensive research into Asperger's, with the result that Jacob became a "caricature" of the disorder, displaying nearly every symptom/stereotype, which I have found to not be the case with Aspie's that I have interacted with. I find this to be the case with many recent media portrayals (ie- Max in the television show Parenthood, etc...).
With that being said, the story itself was definitely more predictable than some of Picoult's earlier stories. However, even though I had "figured out" the mystery, the characters piqued my interest enough that I wanted to keep reading, if only to see how they would handle the eventual reveal and it's outcome. Not the greatest of her novels, but definitely not a disappointment either. I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of Emma and Theo, both thrust into the world of living with an Aspie, and their positive and negative feelings of Jacob's effect on their lives.
With that being said, the story itself was definitely more predictable than some of Picoult's earlier stories. However, even though I had "figured out" the mystery, the characters piqued my interest enough that I wanted to keep reading, if only to see how they would handle the eventual reveal and it's outcome. Not the greatest of her novels, but definitely not a disappointment either. I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of Emma and Theo, both thrust into the world of living with an Aspie, and their positive and negative feelings of Jacob's effect on their lives.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of Picoult's better novels, I thought.
It's a bold move to write in the first person from the perspective of an 18 year old boy with Aspbergers, and I am curious what those with real-life experience thought of her interpretation!
But the story read well, enough foreshadowing that I could guess the end, though it kept me engaged all the way through. A good read.
******
SPOILER ALERT AND CAUTION FOR YOUNG/SENSITIVE READERS
This is about a murder, and the forensic evidence is described in detail - often with the intent to disturb the reader.
Real life serial criminals and how they are caught are vignettes throughout the book.
One sex scene.
It's a bold move to write in the first person from the perspective of an 18 year old boy with Aspbergers, and I am curious what those with real-life experience thought of her interpretation!
But the story read well, enough foreshadowing that I could guess the end, though it kept me engaged all the way through. A good read.
******
SPOILER ALERT AND CAUTION FOR YOUNG/SENSITIVE READERS
This is about a murder, and the forensic evidence is described in detail - often with the intent to disturb the reader.
Real life serial criminals and how they are caught are vignettes throughout the book.
One sex scene.
Continuing on my Picoult kick (I moved to a different country and her novels are readily available in the used book shops), I quite enjoyed this book and I was impressed with the layering of relationships and honest of topic.
I am normally a huge Jodi Picoult fan, but I have to say that this book was a slight disappointment. I felt that the book was more of a statement about Asperger's syndrome that it was a novel about a kid with Asperger's caught up in a murder trial. As usual the book is well researched but it seemed like she just didn't know what information to edit out, so all of it was included. With that being said I really liked the story underneath all of the research, in typical Jodi Picoult fashion it kept be guessing until the very end.
I honestly don't know what to say about this book other than there were parts I really enjoyed and ones that seemed obvious and predictable. The characters in this book were well thought out and that was one of the best things about the book as a whole. As for the ending I was surprised but also not surprised. Jodi is a great author and I think the way the characters lives mixed with each other made the book suspenseful and honest.
This book was very well written. You can picture the characters in your head and feel some of the frustration that they encountered. It amazed me how an Aspbergers child has to follow such a routine. They were parts that made me laugh and some that made me cringe. I loved the book except for the ending. I thought there would be a lot more elaboration of the relationships andd how they were affected by the outcome of the trial.
I really love Jodi's style of writing. She really seems to know her subject matter. This book had so many twists and turns and included true crime snippets too. The ending I'm still not sure what to make of it, because I couldn't figure out who the narrator was.....