My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Monday, June 29th, 2009Disclosure: I purchased this book with my own money. I have no connection with this book’s publisher or author in any way. No compensation was received for this review.
I have to say, I have never read a Jodi Picoult book before. I’ve seen a lot of them at Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, etc but I have never wanted to read one before. Her books have always seemed to me like the kind of books I just wouldn’t be interested in. So when a co-worker was describing My Sister’s Keeper to me, I thought it sounded good enough that I would read it. I finally obtained a copy of the book a few days ago, and read the majority of the book in 2 days.
This book made me laugh, made me cry, and made me angry. From reading the horrifying discovery of Kate’s APL, to Jesse’s run ins with the law, to Anna’s courage in standing up for herself, I ran the gamut of emotions. This book was hard to put down, and although the ending caused me to cry and I wished it had ended differently, I’d read it again in a heartbeat.
Anna has spent her entire life being her older sister Kate’s live-in donor. Kate has acute promyelocetic leukemia and is in constant need of granulocytes, bone marrow, and other things. In a lot of ways, she feels like the only reason she exists is to do this for her sister. So when she decides she’s had enough, right when Kate needs a kidney transplant, as you can imagine, the world for this family blows apart.
You will laugh. You will cry. You will be angry. But most of all, you will think. Was it right for Anna’s parents to force her to donate everything she could to her sister? Was Jesse’s determination to get into trouble to make himself seen by his parents, or his way of punishing himself for not being the one who could save his sister? And what about Kate? She is the recipient of all of Anna’s “donations” and “gifts” but are they really what she wants? Would she rather just die and get it over with, or would she rather keep her sister around as a way to keep herself alive?
This book was wonderful, beautiful, and heart-rending. I am not often touched in this manner by books. My only thought is, if I cried at the book, what will happen if I see the movie.
Five Stars for this wonderful novel.
So I do have places I’d like to travel. The issue is, getting the money to go.

