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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I've delayed posting my update on the book for nearly a month, in part due to being fairly dissatisfied with major elements of it.
Other reviewers have probably said it better than I can. I enjoy Picoult's writing, and that includes in this book. However, the autistic character in this book was far 'too' much of the stereotypical traits, rather than a full bodied, realistic and believable, character. Part of what drew me to the novel was because I'd heard that there was a 'boy' in it with Autism. I feel like I 'shouldn't' be so surprised that Jacob was dealt with in such a stereotypical way, but I am. I was also surprised at how much he was infantilised throughout the story, despite being clearly intelligent.
The story was okay. But I continually was grumpy at Picoult for having such a 2D character that suggested she merely read (somewhat outdated) descriptions of what autistic traits are before casting her main character, rather than any significant interactions with the adult autistic community - which does exist. And Jacob, at 18, as the legal system kept pointing out - is an adult. Yes, he is disabled, and yes, there are special challenges that autistic people - of all ages - struggle with... but he's still an adult, and I feel like the book never treated him as even capable of acting like one.
Other reviewers have probably said it better than I can. I enjoy Picoult's writing, and that includes in this book. However, the autistic character in this book was far 'too' much of the stereotypical traits, rather than a full bodied, realistic and believable, character. Part of what drew me to the novel was because I'd heard that there was a 'boy' in it with Autism. I feel like I 'shouldn't' be so surprised that Jacob was dealt with in such a stereotypical way, but I am. I was also surprised at how much he was infantilised throughout the story, despite being clearly intelligent.
The story was okay. But I continually was grumpy at Picoult for having such a 2D character that suggested she merely read (somewhat outdated) descriptions of what autistic traits are before casting her main character, rather than any significant interactions with the adult autistic community - which does exist. And Jacob, at 18, as the legal system kept pointing out - is an adult. Yes, he is disabled, and yes, there are special challenges that autistic people - of all ages - struggle with... but he's still an adult, and I feel like the book never treated him as even capable of acting like one.
Really disappointed by the ending, would have loved to have found out what happened to Jacob and the other characters - so many unanswered questions! The ending felt really rushed after such a descriptive start and middle. Felt like the book was very informative about Asperger syndrome and the impact the condition has on the lives of family members.
i found this novel to be intriguing and insightful. i like that the story is told from various points of view. it gives the story a more complete feel than if it were told from the pov of only one character. i could relate very much to emma as well. while it's not a cliffhanger, i do wish i could know, what happened next?
Meh. Beach reading. One or two of her books have been memorable, the rest just pass the time.
Jodi Picoult has seemingly carved herself a niche of what I like to call "moral dilemma mysteries". First I read Nineteen Minutes; a seemingly an open and shut case about an isolated teen who takes out his lifelong anger on his classmates. But Jodi creates a world that forces you to question what you would do and see how the lines between "right" and "wrong" can often get blurry.
House Rules is a novel created along those same lines. Jacob Hunt is also a teen who struggles with social acceptance. Only unlike in Nineteen Minutes, Jacob has the diagnosis of having Asperger's Syndrome, a social disorder on the autistic spectrum which makes Jacob, although highly intuitive and intelligent in some respects, childlike and clueless in others.
When the crime solving obsessed Jacob is accused of murdering his only "friend", his tutor Jess, the evidence is astounding. Only Jacob himself knows what really happened. But can a boy who lives in such a literal world convey what he saw without incriminating himself? Or did he really do commit the perfect crime after all?
House Rules was an interesting novel. I liked the inner dialogue from Jacob, albeit I was unsure about its authenticity at times. I also wasn't sure I loved the romantic angle between Jacob's mom and the lawyer. To me this seemed a little bit unethical and also far-fetched. Without giving too much away I also question the ending. On one hand it left me satisfied, on the other hand it left me with more questions than I had answers.
All in all House Rules was a twist on your traditional crime thriller and worth the time.
House Rules is a novel created along those same lines. Jacob Hunt is also a teen who struggles with social acceptance. Only unlike in Nineteen Minutes, Jacob has the diagnosis of having Asperger's Syndrome, a social disorder on the autistic spectrum which makes Jacob, although highly intuitive and intelligent in some respects, childlike and clueless in others.
When the crime solving obsessed Jacob is accused of murdering his only "friend", his tutor Jess, the evidence is astounding. Only Jacob himself knows what really happened. But can a boy who lives in such a literal world convey what he saw without incriminating himself? Or did he really do commit the perfect crime after all?
House Rules was an interesting novel. I liked the inner dialogue from Jacob, albeit I was unsure about its authenticity at times. I also wasn't sure I loved the romantic angle between Jacob's mom and the lawyer. To me this seemed a little bit unethical and also far-fetched. Without giving too much away I also question the ending. On one hand it left me satisfied, on the other hand it left me with more questions than I had answers.
All in all House Rules was a twist on your traditional crime thriller and worth the time.
4.5 stars. I’m always drawn in by Picoult’s writing. This one is slightly repetitive but it’s also part of the story, which is why she’s so great in my opinion. She really makes you connect to all the characters, and the multi-pov of the book is always something I enjoy. There were some parts that didn’t really add to the story itself but I’m always in awe of how much research she does for her stories and character development.
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2011/06/house-rules-boy-with-aspergers-syndrome.html
I really enjoyed this Jodi Picoult novel about Jacob, an 18-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome, who somehow finds himself on trial for murder.
Jacob, an amazingly bright young man, is obsessed with criminal science. For fun, he sets up crime scenes in his house for his mom to solve. His younger brother, Theo, is less amused. While Jacob knocks it out of the ballpark by memorizing lines from movies, the "CrimeBusters" TV show he loves, or scientific/mathematical facts, he lacks the ability to read between the lines, understand subtlety, and engage with others on an emotional level.
Typical of Picoult's novels, House Rules contains a court trial, a variety of characters' perspectives, and a few (small) twists at the end. As I mentioned to my husband, I am astounded at Picoult's amazing prolific catalog of novels, not to mention her exceptional research and preparation for her books. And they are well written, too! Here's an example of what I like about her writing--although somewhat dispassionate (being from Jacob's perspective), doesn't this describe the feeling one has after someone dies?:
"I would like to be able to tell her that, yes, now I get it. When someone dies, it feels like the hole in your gum when a tooth falls out. You can chew, you can eat, you have plenty of other teeth, but your tongue keeps going back to that empty place, where all the nerves are still a little raw."
Here are a few bits that feel a little "off" to me:
•The mom, Emma's, character didn't always ring true for me. At times she comes across as an overprotective mom, and at other times she seems a little batty (the whole thing about the vaccine link to autism seemed like a sensational add-in that didn't quite fit). She only allows her sons to go on Web sites she prescreens, but she allows Jacob to stay out of the house at all hours without keeping track of where he is? She also seems completely insensitive to the difficult life Theo has to lead. And the other thing that baffled me was why, since she knew her son better than anyone else, why didn't she (or anyone else) just ask Jacob straight up if he did it.
•The sudden return of Henry (the boy's father) also seemed a bit out of place. Was he just brought in to cause a bit of jealousy? For someone who had abandoned the family years ago and never really knew his sons--and also had a bit of Asperger's himself--why would he just show up to ostensibly help?
•Prosecuting attorney Helen Sharp is just a bit too one-dimensionally evil and insensitive, and then there's the detective, Rich, who veers from making fun of Jacob's need for sensory breaks to being the one to help him when he panics...kind of like a bully who feels guilty about his actions.
•I had to laugh at the stereotype of a young, inexperienced lawyer who essentially agrees to work for free. (Oliver shows his extreme naivete when he tells Emma to "relax" when Jacob is thrown in jail.)
On the other hand, I liked so much about this book as well, such as the way Picoult portrays the deep complications of parenting, especially special needs parenting:
"Real mothers wonder why (parenting) experts seem to have their acts together all the time when they themselves can barely keep their heads above the stormy seas of parenthood.
Real mothers don't just listen with humble embarrassment to the elderly lady who offers unsolicited advice in the checkout line when a child is throwing a tantrum. We take the child, dump him in the lady's cart, and say 'Great. Maybe you can do a better job.'
Real mothers know that it's okay to eat cold pizza for breakfast.
Real mothers admit it is easier to fail at this job than to succeed.
If parenting is the box of raisin bran, then real mothers know the ratio of flakes to fun is severely imbalanced. For every moment that your child confides in you, or tells you he loves you, or does something umprompted to to protect his brother that you happen to witness, there are many more moments of chaos, error, and self-doubt.
Real mothers may not speak the heresy, but they sometimes secretly wish they'd chosen something for breakfast other than this endless cereal.
Real mothers worry that other mothers will find that magic ring, whereas they'll be looking and looking for ages.
Rest easy, real mothers. The very fact that you worry about being a good mom means that you already are one."
Picoult detailed her in-depth research and sources for this book, including many kids with Asperger's and their parents. She describes the difficulty these kids have in making friends, and I note some crossovers to ADD/ADHD as well here:
"If you asked Jacob for a list of friends, he'd probably be able to give you that list. But if you asked those same kids for their lists, Jacob wouldn't be on them. His Asperger's leads him to mistake proximity for emotional connection."
At one point, Emma ponders that Jacob will never be able to understand love. I think she's just defining love in a "neurotypical" way here. But I believe the ending demonstrates that Jacob does indeed feel love and emotional connections. He just expresses them differently. Another good read by Jodi Picoult!
I really enjoyed this Jodi Picoult novel about Jacob, an 18-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome, who somehow finds himself on trial for murder.
Jacob, an amazingly bright young man, is obsessed with criminal science. For fun, he sets up crime scenes in his house for his mom to solve. His younger brother, Theo, is less amused. While Jacob knocks it out of the ballpark by memorizing lines from movies, the "CrimeBusters" TV show he loves, or scientific/mathematical facts, he lacks the ability to read between the lines, understand subtlety, and engage with others on an emotional level.
Typical of Picoult's novels, House Rules contains a court trial, a variety of characters' perspectives, and a few (small) twists at the end. As I mentioned to my husband, I am astounded at Picoult's amazing prolific catalog of novels, not to mention her exceptional research and preparation for her books. And they are well written, too! Here's an example of what I like about her writing--although somewhat dispassionate (being from Jacob's perspective), doesn't this describe the feeling one has after someone dies?:
"I would like to be able to tell her that, yes, now I get it. When someone dies, it feels like the hole in your gum when a tooth falls out. You can chew, you can eat, you have plenty of other teeth, but your tongue keeps going back to that empty place, where all the nerves are still a little raw."
Here are a few bits that feel a little "off" to me:
•The mom, Emma's, character didn't always ring true for me. At times she comes across as an overprotective mom, and at other times she seems a little batty (the whole thing about the vaccine link to autism seemed like a sensational add-in that didn't quite fit). She only allows her sons to go on Web sites she prescreens, but she allows Jacob to stay out of the house at all hours without keeping track of where he is? She also seems completely insensitive to the difficult life Theo has to lead. And the other thing that baffled me was why, since she knew her son better than anyone else, why didn't she (or anyone else) just ask Jacob straight up if he did it.
•The sudden return of Henry (the boy's father) also seemed a bit out of place. Was he just brought in to cause a bit of jealousy? For someone who had abandoned the family years ago and never really knew his sons--and also had a bit of Asperger's himself--why would he just show up to ostensibly help?
•Prosecuting attorney Helen Sharp is just a bit too one-dimensionally evil and insensitive, and then there's the detective, Rich, who veers from making fun of Jacob's need for sensory breaks to being the one to help him when he panics...kind of like a bully who feels guilty about his actions.
•I had to laugh at the stereotype of a young, inexperienced lawyer who essentially agrees to work for free. (Oliver shows his extreme naivete when he tells Emma to "relax" when Jacob is thrown in jail.)
On the other hand, I liked so much about this book as well, such as the way Picoult portrays the deep complications of parenting, especially special needs parenting:
"Real mothers wonder why (parenting) experts seem to have their acts together all the time when they themselves can barely keep their heads above the stormy seas of parenthood.
Real mothers don't just listen with humble embarrassment to the elderly lady who offers unsolicited advice in the checkout line when a child is throwing a tantrum. We take the child, dump him in the lady's cart, and say 'Great. Maybe you can do a better job.'
Real mothers know that it's okay to eat cold pizza for breakfast.
Real mothers admit it is easier to fail at this job than to succeed.
If parenting is the box of raisin bran, then real mothers know the ratio of flakes to fun is severely imbalanced. For every moment that your child confides in you, or tells you he loves you, or does something umprompted to to protect his brother that you happen to witness, there are many more moments of chaos, error, and self-doubt.
Real mothers may not speak the heresy, but they sometimes secretly wish they'd chosen something for breakfast other than this endless cereal.
Real mothers worry that other mothers will find that magic ring, whereas they'll be looking and looking for ages.
Rest easy, real mothers. The very fact that you worry about being a good mom means that you already are one."
Picoult detailed her in-depth research and sources for this book, including many kids with Asperger's and their parents. She describes the difficulty these kids have in making friends, and I note some crossovers to ADD/ADHD as well here:
"If you asked Jacob for a list of friends, he'd probably be able to give you that list. But if you asked those same kids for their lists, Jacob wouldn't be on them. His Asperger's leads him to mistake proximity for emotional connection."
At one point, Emma ponders that Jacob will never be able to understand love. I think she's just defining love in a "neurotypical" way here. But I believe the ending demonstrates that Jacob does indeed feel love and emotional connections. He just expresses them differently. Another good read by Jodi Picoult!
Jodi Picoult addresses the issue of a young man named Jacob, who has Asperger's and is accused of a crime. This story is told through the eyes of five different narrators. Emma-Jacob's mother who is raising Jacob and Theo alone, Theo-his brother, Rich-the detective involved in the case, Oliver-Jacob's attorney, and Jacob himself. It really gives insight as to how both Aspergers and the crime affected each person. I was a bit worried when I saw there were 5 narrators but the story flowed very well between each narrator and was very easy to follow. It made the story even more interesting to me to have five different viewpoints of what was happening. I felt as though Emma and Theo were just as much prisoners as Jacob. They were trapped in this world of making Jacob's life as easy for him as possible from keeping a strict schedule to eating foods of a certain color on specific days. However, as a mother I could imagine doing the same for one of my own children if put in the same situation. I could feel their frustrations in dealing with Jacob and making him understand the process in which he was about to go through. Jacob has a love for solving crimes and forensics ironically but he is not able to grasp what being accused of a crime means for him. Jodi had me questioning whether it is right to prosecute someone who has Aspergers of a crime such as murder. Will the defendant know what he is being accused of and have an understanding of right and wrong? Many questions do arise during this book that are interesting for discussion. I think it would be a great book for book clubs. Jodi Picoult's novels are always powerful and seem to address controversial issues. This one does not disappoint. This was a page turner for me. It kept me guessing until the very end.
I liked this one and thought it was very well-written. It flowed well and captured my attention from the first chapter. However, I was a little disappointed in the end and found it somewhat anti-climactic.