As promised, I will be commenting on the various books I'll be reading within my bookclub, The Random Readers. Our first selection was "Handle with Care" by Jodi Picoult.
If you don't know her, Jodi Picoult was the author of "My Sisters' Keeper" a highly well known novel that has now been fashioned into a movie. Handle with Care is basically just another version.
For those who do know her, Jodi Picoult delivered, in this novel, her traditional formula:
Moral Dilemna + Court Case + Bang over the head symbolism and parallel characters + Twist at the end = Handle with Care
An enjoyable read, if you go in with this expectation. Which I did. Having read both My Sister's Keeper, and Vanishing Acts, I was well aware of Picoult's style, and was not the least bit surprised by her latest work of fiction.
A brief synopsis:
A blended family of four (two adults, two kids) are dealing with one of the child's (Willow - as in bends but doesn't break) debilitating disease: Osteogenesis Imperfecta. As the name suggests, this disease has to do with mal-formed bones which are said to be 'brittle' and break at the drop of a hat. Willow breaks bones when she sneezes. And she will always be small as her bones will never grow to their full extent.
The major plot around this is that the Mother (Charlotte) is offerred the chance to testify in a lawsuit that could award her a large sum of money to cover Willow's needs both at present, in the future, and even beyond Charlotte's earthly existance as her care giver. However, the lawsuit is one of "Wrongful Birth" which suggests that had Charlotte known early enough about the disease from her accused gynecologist, she would have terminated the pregnancy. In other words, she has to swear she would've had Willow's birth prevented knowing full well Willow is old enough to understand, and knowing how the world will react (including her husband Sean, and her other daughter Amelia). Oh, and by the way, her gynocologist whom she is suing also happens to be her best friend, Piper. Yeah.
Of course, there's also Charlotte's lawyer, who, as with the lawyer in My Sister's Keeper, also has a side story pertaining to the dilemna. Finally, just for extra measure, Picoult makes Charlotte an ex-pastry chef, a career which continually demands the 'careful handling' of ingredients etc. To punctuate, Picoult ads a recipe for a different pastry every couple of chapters.
I did enjoy the novel, as it was easy to get through, and delivered exactly what Picoult always promises. As with any hit-over-the-head symbolism, I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. Mostly at the end, when the twist I had figured out a couple chapters prior turned out as expected. If you are fan of Jodi Picoult, bottom line: This novel will not disappoint. Jodi writes as though she is expecting to be read for a bookclub. So we did our part, and proceeded accordingly.
At the book club we discussed briefly the elements of the book that merit conversation. The moral dilemna of course as the main topic. Should someone be allowed to sue for "Wrongful Birth" if the baby is born less than perfect? How far away is this then from genetically engineered babies?
Personally, I think the lawsuit was justified. Yes, it was hard on the Mother, and the rest of the family. But when it comes down to it, Mama bear will always sacrifice for the good of her child. Even if it means hurting her a little bit in the present to reap greater rewards in the future.
There is one very powerful scene at the climax of the book where Charlotte is on trial, and is asked point-blank if she would've had Willow's existence terminated given the choice. Charlotte's response is absolutely perfect, and as a logicaly and metaphysicaly minded person, I ate it up. Essentially, Charlotte responded by saying that the question wasn't really applicable, nor justified because she now knows Willow inside and out, and loves her deeply, and wouldn't trade her for the world. It is impossible to answer a question about making a decision in the past now that she is in the future, and has the knowledge on the issue which she lacked at that time. The lawsuit was about the fact that she wasn't offerred the choice, not about which choice she would've made. Well done Jodi. Lovely use of the metaphysical and abstract!
I will not spoil the ending, and will not go into further detail to allow for your own reading pleasure, and opinion formation.
I'm pleased to announce it was my choice for the next book within the bookclub, and I have assigned Emma Donoghue's "Room". Stay tuned for its review next month ;D
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