My Sister's Keeper: Book Review

"When I was little, the great mystery to me wasn't how babies were made, but why." Thus begins the novel, My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. Readers will travel an emotional roller coaster as they sort through the emotions of each character. The story unfolds as two parents of a dying child, Kate, give birth to another, Anna, in order to save her. Throughout Anna's life, she, as a perfect donor match, has undergone periodic procedures, such as donating blood, bone marrow, even her umbilical cord, to help extend her sister's life. She's aware of her parent's decision to conceive her and is intrigued by the reasons other parents have children and how many they choose to have.

When Anna, now 13 years old, realizes her next donation will be a kidney, she decides she should have the right to make her own decisions and hires a lawyer to sue her parents for that right. Kate, now 16, and suffering from a rare form of leukemia, needs a kidney transplant in order to survive. Anna's mother, an attorney herself, ultimately decides to legally represent Kate. Picoult skillfully shares the conflict within the family and the supporting characters involved, such as the Anna's lawyer and guardian ad litem. As the drama unfolds, readers will find themselves questioning their own views of genetic planning, ethically and morally, as the author reveals each main character's viewpoint in their own voices. Parents of multiple children may find themselves wondering what they would have done in the same situation they find Anna's parents in. This book is definitely a thought-provoking account of a family's turmoil. In the midst of the moral, legal and emotional struggle, the family has to deal with their oldest child, Jesse, who has problems of his own that soon become problems his family will have to deal with.

It's obvious that author, Jodi Picoult has done her homework. Known for her extensive research, she shows that she knows and understands the turmoil a family in this situation would face and the legalities involved. Not only that, but she understands how to tell a thought-provoking tale that will compel readers to read and re-read this novel.

Picoult, a master storyteller with a penchant for controversial subjects, doesn't disappoint as My Sister's Keeper keeps readers turning the pages to disclose an ending with an unexpected twist.

This novel has been made into a major motion picture both in the United States and the United Kingdom.