Sing You Home by Jodi PicoultMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I finished Jodi Picoult’s newest book last week but I’ve been struggling with writing my review, but here’s my attempt. I am a huge fan of her writing style and really, her books are always great reads. Her books flow so wonderfully and she has the knack for tackling some very difficult and interesting topics. You really can’t go wrong picking one of her books out of the zillions out there. She goes to great lengths to research the topics she writes about which makes her books so believable. Her books are just really enjoyable, like watching a great drama-filled movie. I’m a fan.
Essentially, this book is about a woman named Zoe who suffers from infertility. After many attempts at in vitro fertilization, miscarriages and ultimately a stillbirth, Zoe’s husband Max has had enough of the marriage and trying to conceive so he files for divorce. Zoe then becomes close friends with Vanessa. The two women end up falling in love, get married (in a state that allows same-sex marriages) and Vanessa offers to become pregnant with Zoe and Max’s leftover embryos so that Zoe’s dream of being a mother can be fulfilled. In the meantime, Max becomes a born-again Christian and doesn’t approve for Zoe’s new lifestyle nor does he want to have his “children” raised by lesbians. Further, he wants to give the embryos to his brother and sister-in-law so that the “children” can be raised in a “good” Christian home. What comes next is one of Picoult’s amazing courtroom scenes. Seriously, Picoult could be an attorney herself… she is THAT good at writing courtroom drama! I’ll stop with the synopsis right here for fear I’ll give away some big parts of the story.
I rated this book 4 out of 5 because I really did enjoy this book and felt she did a great job developing the characters and storyline. Her writing is incredible. This book, in my opinion, is probably her most controversial yet – the topic of homosexual relationships and marriage. I found myself wondering what Picoult’s personal beliefs are. The reason I say this is because I really felt like she portrayed Christians in such a one-sided way. Picoult seemed to paint a picture that ALL Christians are these radical, picketing, Bible-thumping, preaching, crazy people. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a “born-again Christian” and while I am sure there are some radical “Christian’s” out there, I have never met anyone like the “Christian’s” Picoult portrays in this book. The Christians I know are loving and caring people. Christian’s are not perfect, but are also broken and sinful just like Zoe. Just like Max and Liddy. And just like the “Christians” in this book. After all, no one is perfect except for Jesus Christ himself. The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is sin. Then again, sin is sin…. whether you are partaking in a homosexual lifestyle, you are stealing, cheating, lying or committing murder. The church in this book was portrayed to be very hateful which is also sinful. Thankfully, Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of ALL sins if/when we repent of them. Anyways, that’s my little tidbit of information. I go into this because the book seems to make Zoe out to be the “angel” and the Christian’s out to be the “villains”… and really neither is better than the other… in real life, or the book. Anyways, I wished Picoult would have done the Christian part differently… but, I realize this is fiction and that is what I’ll treat it as that.
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Interesting. I feel like I can kind of guess at her beliefs, based on her other books but then again, maybe not. She's an excellent writer and to do what she does, she has to be able to portray different sides whether she believes like that or not. Anyway. I couldn't finish Handle with Care. I didn't get far. I saw where it was going, didn't like it and quit reading. First time I've ever not liked one of her books.
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