Book Review : My Sister’s Keeper

Once you set on Picoult’s journey of introspection, it’s hard to stop. My Sister’s Keeper, a powerful page turner, is one of many such journeys by this award-winning American author. Through an emphatic expression of her characters, Jodi Picoult sets the mood for a deep self reflection that you’re slowly drawn into through a smooth escalation of realistic, relatable events. Each chapter is drafted from the perspective of a different character; their viewpoints constantly questioning what’s fair and what is not. This is probably what makes this Popular Fiction novel so powerful – the shadow of empathy created by the author pushes one to not only read, but to relate to the drama. 

The protagonist, Anna, is a 13 year old girl born through genetic engineering as an ideal match to her sister, Kate, who suffers from leukemia. Now Kate is entering the end stages of kidney failure and receiving one of Anna’s kidneys is her only chance of a prolonged life. But Anna refuses to donate. Knowing her parents won’t listen to her protests, Anna approaches Campbell Alexander, a prominent lawyer. Despite all her love for her sister, she files a lawsuit against her parents for medical emancipation. Through a major turn of events, serious debates and issues are raised as the family struggles through the inevitability of events. To what extent can parents control a child’s life? When is it right to finally draw a line? Love over morals or morals over love?

Revolving around this very lawsuit is the labyrinth of lives interconnected through love, fate and duty. Jodi Picoult provides a thoughtful insight into various issues of family and debates that every human being faces at some point in life. However, the biggest page turning quality of this book is its ability to take us to the dark side of the moon. Through a roller-coaster of emotions, Picoult paints every scene in colours of reality, making us realise that nothing in this world is black or white. Through a plot of intense tragedy, the book gives a certain kind of solace by putting us in the comfort of justification. It tells us that life is harsh and hardly ever fair, but it also plants a seed of hope that we all have the power to do what is best in our limits. 

The plot experiences an unexpected twist in the latter half, adding an element of surprise to the book. 

All in all, the book is an engrossing piece of work that evokes a plethora of emotions; definitely ideal for that bucket list of emotional reads! Various twists and turns are brought to life in realistic dialogue, typical of Picoult. No two readers are the same, yet by the end of this book, every one shall have something to take with them.