My Sister’s Keeper: A Captivating Tale of Love, Life, and Family

Jodi Picoult strikes again with another work of realistic fiction that is impossible to put down. My Sister’s Keeper, one of Picoult’s more recent novels, outlines the life of a young girl with a terminally ill sister. The main character of the story, a 13 year old girl named Anna Fitzgerald, struggles in court to earn her right to decide if she should continue to go through countless surgeries and transfusions, while her sister Kate’s life slowly dwindles away due to her fatal diagnosis: acute promyelocytic leukemia. With a plot line filled with this much drama, who can resist the temptation to enter into Picoult’s world? Is Anna an evil person because she doesn’t want to continue to sacrifice everything normal about her life, in a wasted effort to save Kate? Is she selfish, or is ending her status as Kate’s donor actually a sacrifice for the greater good?

When I picked up My Sister’s Keeper, I must admit, the story did not appear interesting; but like they always say, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” After reading the first chapter of Picoult’s novel, I found it impossible to stop; her writing was so realistic, and that is mainly due to the massive amount of research that goes into each of her stories. As I read the story of Kate and Anna Fitzgerald, I couldn’t help but feel like they were two of my close friends. Every situation seemed like it could happen to anyone; nothing was too far-fetched. The story of love, life, and family, appeals to a variety of readers, ranging in ages from their early teens to late adulthood.

Without giving too much away, I’d like to comment on how Picoult ended her tale. Throughout the novel I tried to figure out how the book would end: Would Anna finally gain the freedom to decide whether or not she wanted to be a donor? Would the Fitzgerald family fall apart? Would Kate live? As one question is answered, Picoult leaves the reader asking even more. Of course, there is a signature Jodi Picoult twist just waiting at the end (similar to her other captivating works). But, even when the reader knows that there will be an unexpected ending, and there are subtle hints left throughout the story, it is nearly impossible to guess what will happen. In My Sister’s Keeper, Picoult clearly proves that anything can change as the reader turns the page.

Picoult’s lifelike, dramatic, and undoubtedly profound novel causes readers to see family bonds and responsibilities in a new light. Get your Kleenex out and ready because My Sister’s Keeper is an emotional roller-coaster that you won’t be able to turn down.