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My Sister's Keeper: A Novel

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Overview

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister -- and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.

Editorial Reviews

The difficult choices a family must make when a child is diagnosed with a serious disease are explored with pathos and understanding in this 11th novel by Picoult (Second Glance, etc.). The author, who has taken on such controversial subjects as euthanasia (Mercy), teen suicide (The Pact) and sterilization laws (Second Glance), turns her gaze on genetic planning, the prospect of creating babies for health purposes and the ethical and moral fallout that results. Kate Fitzgerald has a rare form of leukemia. Her sister, Anna, was conceived to provide a donor match for procedures that become increasingly invasive. At 13, Anna hires a lawyer so that she can sue her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned. Meanwhile, Jesse, the neglected oldest child of the family, is out setting fires, which his firefighter father, Brian, inevitably puts out. Picoult uses multiple viewpoints to reveal each character's intentions and observations, but she doesn't manage her transitions as gracefully as usual; a series of flashbacks are abrupt. Nor is Sara, the children's mother, as well developed and three-dimensional as previous Picoult protagonists. Her devotion to Kate is understandable, but her complete lack of sympathy for Anna's predicament until the trial does not ring true, nor can we buy that Sara would dust off her law degree and represent herself in such a complicated case. Nevertheless, Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity, and comes up with a heart-wrenching, unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion.
Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult received an A.B. in creative writing from Princeton and a master's degree in education from Harvard. The recipient of the 2003 New England Book Award for her entire body of work, she is the author of fourteen novels, including The Tenth Circle, Vanishing Acts, and My Sister's Keeper, for which she received the American Library Association's Margaret Alexander Edwards Award. Recently, she penned several issues of Wonder Woman for DC Comics. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. Visit her website at www.jodipicoult.com.

Customer Reviews

  • 4 stars out of 5Worth reading

    Posted December 16, 2008 by Kathy , Cottonwood Heights

    I liked this book because it felt real. The whole story was believable. I felt the pain that the family was going through. I admire Picoult for writing about such a controversial subject. I thought she did a very good job. And, I felt very surprised with the ending but I liked it.

  • 5 stars out of 5Great Read

    Posted December 27, 2008 by KAT, Etobicoke

    The ending is a huge surprise, very much well worth the read. The story is touching, you feel that both the parents and the child really are right in their actions/decisions, which keeps you reading to find out the final decision and then Jodi suddenly takes a turn you don't see coming.

  • 5 stars out of 5Don't hesitate to read this book

    Posted January 12, 2009 by Bird, Barrie, Ontario

    What a book! I found myself angry at the mother one minute and sympathizing with her the next. The dynamics of this family had me hooked from page one... two sweet daughters, a dysfunctional son, a sympathetic husband. Twist after twist. This book is an emotional read... I admit... the 'ugly cry' was displayed! One of my favourites for sure.

  • 5 stars out of 5Wow! what a read!

    Posted May 07, 2009 by Sheila Logan , APO (military)

    this book is definitely an easy read was hard to put down, it was so hard to pick a side even though I loved Anna and the ending WOW made me cry but it is definitely worth the read!
    I just hope the movie can live up to the book.

  • 5 stars out of 5Great Read

    Posted May 09, 2009 by Tammy, San Bernardino

    The first book I read by Jodi Picoult. She is a very talented writer. The family issues in this book are so relatable, you feel as if you are more than just a fly on the wall watching, you feel as if you personally know what these people are going through. It was a definitely a great read!

  • 3 stars out of 5If only...

    Posted May 11, 2009 by Mary Ann, Boulder

    Picoult does a great job writing a thought provoking novel. It is a decent read up until the very end. If only Picoult would have written a different ending instead of taking the easy way out I think I would have enjoyed the novel much more. I was so disappointed with the ending it left me with a bad impression for the book. I enjoyed "Vanishing Acts" and was eager to read another Picoult novel. This one though, left me much less impressed with the author. All in all it's a decent read, just don't get your hopes up for a great ending.

  • 4 stars out of 5Will read more Jodi Picoult!

    Posted May 27, 2009 by jzuke, Aurora, IL

    This was the first book I have read by Jodi Picoult and I will definitely read more! She really makes you see all sides of the story from every character's perspective. The ending was a complete surprise and I had to stop reading the book a few times due to the tears that had welled up - not something I easily do when reading. I highly recommend this book.

  • 5 stars out of 5Emotional Rollercoaster

    Posted June 24, 2009 by Jennifer, Houston

    A fabulous read that takes you through all the extremes associated with right and wrong and at what age does a child have the right to decide what happens with their body...throw in a huge twist and you will find yourself in tears many times like I did. How does a childs illness affect the rest of the family? I have read several of Jodi's books and this is one of my favorites. The way she portrays the stories from the different perspectives of each character is unique among the authors I have read to date. I hope the movie does it justice...

  • 4 stars out of 5Recommend it

    Posted June 27, 2009 by PH, Houston

    It's a must read for everybody. It inspires discussion, and any book that does that is worth a try.

  • 3 stars out of 5Good read, but....

    Posted July 02, 2009 by JW, Sioux Falls

    I had previously read Jodi's book "Handle with Care." It is about a family with a child who has Osteogensis Imperfecta.

    When I started reading "My Sister's Keeper," I noted right away the similarities. Same format of using different character perspectives, the mother in both books are the "heavy." The father in both are tough public servants, but are like warm marshmallows away from the job. It was like reading the same book, but different diseases.

    I related to the character of Anna, in that she is being, rightfully, or wrongfully, "used."

    "My Sister's Keeper" is a good and thoughtful read; just prepare for the outcome being different from what you might expect.

  • 5 stars out of 5Keep the kleenex box close by

    Posted July 19, 2009 by Toni, FL

    I loved this book even though it was a heart wrenching book to read. You can't help but sympothize with all the characters involved.

    I know a family personally who went through something similar to this book and these characters, that's probably another reason why it was such a tear jerker for me.

    The ending was a total surprise and from a writers perspective it was an oncore performance. From the readers perspective, well like I said in the title, keep your kleenex box handy, you'll need it.

Additional Info

Imprint

Pocket

Filesize

972.66 KB

Number of Pages

432

eBook ISBN

9780743488815

Awards

  • Alex Awards
  • Black-Eyed Susan Book Award
  • Bluegrass Award
  • Galaxy British Book Awards
  • Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
  • School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
  • Virginia Reader's Choice Awards
  • Young Reader's Choice Award

Excerpt from: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

When I was little, the great mystery to me wasn't how babies were made, but why. The mechanics I understood -- my older brother Jesse had filled me in -- although at the time I was sure he'd heard half of it wrong. Other kids my age were busy looking up the words penis and vagina in the classroom dictionary when the teacher had her back turned, but I paid attention to different details. Like why some mothers only had one child, while other families seemed to multiply before your eyes. Or how the new girl in school, Sedona, told anyone who'd listen that she was named for the place where her parents were vacationing when they made her ("Good thing they weren't staying in Jersey City," my father used to say).

Now that I am thirteen, these distinctions are only more complicated: the eighth-grader who dropped out of school because she got into trouble; a neighbor who got herself pregnant in the hopes it would keep her husband from filing for divorce. I'm telling you, if aliens landed on earth today and took a good hard look at why babies get born, they'd conclude that most people have children by accident, or because they drink too much on a certain night, or because birth control isn't one hundred percent, or for a thousand other reasons that really aren't very flattering.

On the other hand, I was born for a very specific purpose. I wasn't the result of a cheap bottle of wine or a full moon or the heat of the moment. I was born because a scientist managed to hook up my mother's eggs and my father's sperm to create a specific combination of precious genetic material. In fact, when Jesse told me how babies get made and I, the great disbeliever, decided to ask my parents the truth, I got more than I bargained for. They sat me down and told me all the usual stuff, of course -- but they also explained that they chose little embryonic me, specifically, because I could save my sister, Kate. "We loved you even more," my mother made sure to say, "because we knew what exactly we were getting."

It made me wonder, though, what would have happened if Kate had been healthy. Chances are, I'd still be floating up in Heaven or wherever, waiting to be attached to a body to spend some time on Earth. Certainly I would not be part of this family. See, unlike the rest of the free world, I didn't get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason, then that reason better exist. Because once it's gone, so are you.


Pawnshops may be full of junk, but they're also a breeding ground for stories, if you ask me, not that you did. What happened to make a person trade in the Never Before Worn Diamond Solitaire? Who needed money so badly they'd sell a teddy bear missing an eye? As I walk up to the counter, I wonder if someone will look at the locket I'm about to give up, and ask these same questions.

The man at the cash register has a nose the shape of a turnip, and eyes sunk so deep I can't imagine how he sees well enough to go about his business. "Need something?" he asks.

It's all I can do to not turn around and walk out the door, pretend I've come in by mistake. The only thing that keeps me steady is knowing I am not the first person to stand in front of this counter holding the one item in the world I never thought I'd part with.

"I have something to sell," I tell him.

"Am I supposed to guess what it is?"

"Oh." Swallowing, I pull the locket out of the pocket of my jeans. The heart falls on the glass counter in a pool of its own chain. "It's

fourteen-karat gold," I pitch. "Hardly ever worn." This is a lie; until this morning, I haven't taken it off in seven years. My father gave it to me when I was six after the bone marrow harvest, because he said anyone who was giving her sister such a major present deserved one of her own. Seeing it there, on the counter, my neck feels shivery and naked.