My Sister's Keeper, a complex story

By: Ashley Reviere

Posted: 2/3/10

Jodi Picoult's eleventh novel, My Sister's Keeper, is a must read for young adults and parents everywhere. The book is praised by high schools, libraries - including the American Library Association - and has even found its place in Hollywood as a major motion picture in its sixth year of publication.

My Sister's Keeper is about a girl conceived only for a purpose beyond that of normal parenthood. The main character, Anna, grows up as the youngest of three, the eldest battling cancer. Her sister Kate suffers from leukemia and the only way to keep her alive - or at least alive enough - is for Anna to act as the sole donor to her treatments, frequently dragging them both in and out of the hospital.

Parents Brian and Sara Fitzgerald are forced to make difficult decisions every day due to their child's illness. Who is to say they are right, just or even ethical? Anna serves as a blood bank, marrow donor and organ donor to her dying sister. She is at the will of her parents who will choose anything to keep Kate alive.

Anna sues her mother and father for medical rights to her own body, giving up her role as her sister's keeper. The struggle is that since Anna is barely a teenager, she may be incapable of making these decisions on her own. Helping Anna through the mess is a destructive brother Jesse, a narcissistic lawyer Campbell Alexander and his secret lover, Anna's guardian ad litem, Julia Romano.

The charming, yet arrogant, Alexander is every bit clever as he is mysterious. As a tragedy in the Fitzgerald house unfolds, so does the romance between Alexander and Romano. Even more intriguing is a parallel story about an arsonist in town, keeping Brian, a local firefighter busy. Brian is constantly away from his family when they need him most, leaving Sara - an ex-lawyer - to build a defense case against their children.

Picoult possesses a true and rare talent by accomplishing not only a great story, but multiple conflicts intertwined throughout. Picoult is known to her readers for jumping into each character's perspective and My Sister's Keeper certainly will not let them down.

The chapters in this novel are separated by scenes and plot points; however each chapter is from a different person's point of view. This element adds an extra layer to the already complex intermediate level reading.

Picoult's style isn't the only thing that appeals to readers. Her mature impositions on pressing issues of today's world make My Sister's Keeper a timeless addition to any collection.

Young adult readers may not be surprised to find it on the shelf next to other great modern American dramas and literature like To Kill a Mocking Bird or Catcher in the Rye.