A review by romonko
My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-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

5.0

This is probably the most devastating book I've ever read.  Jodi Picoult has never been one to hold things back in her books, but this one rises above all of her other books.  Her novel about two sisters who are emotionally and physically tied to each other.  Kate is 16 when the book opens, and she has been suffering from a rare form of leukaemia since she was two.  Anna is three years younger, and to quote her, she says that she's never had to wonder about who or what she is, or why she was born.  She knows she was genetically programmed to be a donor for her older sister.  As a result, Anna states that she's been in the hospital more than most people who are really sick.  There was always another donation to be made to help her sister fight her leukaemia.  When this book opens, most options are no longer open to Kate, and it looks like the only thing that may serve her is a kidney donation from her sister.  Anna is not prepared to go through with this invasive surgery, so, after some research, she approaches a lawyer named Campbell Alexander and asks him to help her to become medically emancipated from her family.  Campbell finds he can't say no to this girl, and agrees, even though he has enough of his own medical problems to deal with.  The friendship and trust that develops between this girl and the lawyer is the glue that binds this book together, and the ups and downs of their relationship push the book forward to its unexpected and devastating close.  I found that I couldn't put the book down, and just to had to see what was on the next page or the next chapter.  The book is told from varying viewpoints, but Anna's character and her viewpoints is what binds them all together.  The book will make you reexamine all your preconceived notions about family dynamics and responsibilities.  After the emotional rollercoaster it puts you through, the end will break your heart but it will also inspire you.