BookBrowse Reviews My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs

Jodi Picoult is known for taking on controversial subjects such as euthanasia (Mercy), teen suicide (The Pact) and sterilization laws (Second Glance), and her latest book is no exception.

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?

The reviews are generally positive although there are some comments suggesting that the characters are a little two-dimensional and the plot is a somewhat over done, but all reviewers appear to agree that Picoult does a good job of exploring this controversial subject area.

Reviewed February 2005

This review first ran in the February 2, 2005 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.