Willow O'Keefe loves facts and knows the answer to all sorts of questions. But even she can't answer the biggest question of all - why was she born with a condition that could kill her if she fell or even breathed deeply? Willow has osteogenesis imperfecta and faces a lifetime of hundreds of broken bones and pain. Her family faces a lifetime of scraping to make ends meet to pay for her medical care.Their lives are defined by Willow's condition. Sean, her policeman father, is hardly ever home, taking on extra work to ease the financial burden. Her mother Charlotte'swaking moments are devoted to taking care of Willow and older sister Amelia is forgotten amidst all their worries. Charlotte thinks if she files a wrongful birth lawsuit against her doctor for not informing her that her child would be born severely disabled, the financial payout would ensure quality care for Willow and a better life for the family. Charlotte's decision is not taken lightly; the doctor is her best friend, but she wants a better life for her daughter...
Jodi Picoult never gives her characters - or her readers- an easy ride. In this absorbing, disturbing and many-layered novel about a little-known disability, she deals with the big questions of medical ethics and personal morality, and causes the reader to ask: "What would I do?" I found this book hard to put down, and hard to forget.It's another great read from a deservedly popular writer.
Rating - I give this 4/5
Not bad!Reviewed by Jan @ Ballarat library
2 comments:
I don't want to offend (everyone says that and you just know that they're going to)but I find this author utter tedium, she writes like a disease a month funk & wagnells encyclopedia series. There are always tragic sick kids or mental mothers, and the obligatory uplifting ending. I don't understand why she is so popular
hee hee.. Funk and wagnells comment very funny. I suspect same people watch Oprah
Post a Comment