This is the second Jodi Picoult novel I read. The first one was My Sister’s Keeper. Though I bought the latter, I got Change of Heart from one of my sisters along with a pile of other books I’ve been reading to get “out of the way”. I treat books like I treat food…. don’t like to ‘waste them’, so I’m on a mission to finish these paper backs and while I’m at it, enjoying the surprises that each page brings.
It usually takes me a chapter or two to get into a book, but in Change of Heart Jodi Picoult had me at hello. The novel raises issues such as the death penalty and its morality, as well as religion, spirituality and our personal path to redemption. All important topics, but not ones I would choose to be reading about at this moment or from this novel. However, In Change of Heart, these issues are intertwined with the story of a mother who loses some of her family and is on the verge of losing what’s left, including herself. This human story got me thinking about God, self and the often unacknowledged divinity that is in all of us. Underlying, are elements of child abuse, dealing with loss, parenting and even dating… presented with realism and bits of humor. So, though this novel is a tragedy, it is somewhat uplifting, not devastating. As I read the book, I could tell it was well researched and the information in it has motivated me to read more about the sources she used in the case of the Gnostic Gospels.
I sometimes shy away from authors who become so prolific in such a short period of time, wondering if they can maintain quality and spontaneity in their stories when they’re in a rush to deliver. But Jodi has pleased me two times over and I’m becoming a fan. Change of Heart is a page-turner.
