A review by bookquine
House Rules by Jodi Picoult

3.0

There were things I really hated about this book: the constant reference to a "cure" for autism, the link to vaccination, the use of the out-dated and rejected term of Asperger's, the wildly incorrect idea that all autistic people have no empathy, the hideous use of functioning labels that invalidate the lived reality of autism, the validation of abusive, trauma-inducing ABA, the truth in the fact that the criminal justice system, whether in the US or elsewhere, is not a safe place for autistic people. That all said, Jodi Picoult writes in a compelling way that kept me reading, even when much of the book made for uncomfortable reading. Some of the depiction of Jacob definitely rings true, but it did feel at times that he was a textbook, tick all the boxes autist, rather than a more true to life varied mix of characteristics. I did see what really happened long before the end of the book and the reveal, but was disappointed that there was no resolution of what became of Jacob and Theo after the revelation of the truth.