This book goes under the list of books that I feel like everyone has read but me. I watched the movie when it came out, but I was so annoyed by my sisters' reactions ("THAT'S NOT HOW THE BOOK ENDS!") that I guess I subconsciously put it off. But at some point I found it at a 2nd and Charles sidewalk sale for about $3 and...here we are. I own it, I haven't read it, and I'm checking things off the list. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I picked the right season of my life to pick this one off the shelf, but I managed to enjoy it all the same.
Here's the basic plot of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper: Kate Fitzgerald is diagnosed with a difficult strain of leukemia when she's just two years old, and when her older brother isn't a match for any transplants or donations, her parents decide to conceive a genetically perfect match of a sibling. Although they fully intended to love their new daughter just as much as any other child, the lines between daughter and donor become blurred immediately when they take Anna's cord blood moments after her birth. Years later, after multiple surgeries and somewhat involuntary donations, Anna hires a lawyer and files for medical emancipation from her parents. Kate is in desperate need of a kidney and Anna is drawing the line.
This particular Picoult book has everything you would want and expect from one of hers. A tragic and heart-wrenching story you'd never want to have happen to your family, ethical and moral discussions about how you should or should not handle those tragedies, dramatic courtroom scenes, a star-crossed romance that's both amusing and frustrating, and crazy twists at the end that you don't see coming nor do you want to accept even though they make for a pretty awesome ending. I do recommend it for an easy - but sometimes emotional - read, but I guess I would have to warn that there are some heavy family issues and discussions that aren't for the faint of heart. It's really not bad, just something to be aware of before diving in.
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