Author: Jodi Picoult
ISBN 0-7434-5452-9
Have you ever read a book that builds up your emotions; from touched to sadness to empathy, to joy and even leads you to immense anger with the author?
If you haven't, then you have not read this book by Jodi Picoult.
No, this is not a promotional post for the book by Jodi Picoult, but rather my very own review and personal opinion on a novel that I have just finished reading.
I have been wanting to read this book for a very long time, and I was happy to finally get my hands on it when I spotted it in the bookshop!
Synopsis of the story: (spoilers ahead)
Sara and Brian Fitzgerald's eldest daughter, Kate, was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer affecting her blood and bone marrow; Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia at the age of two.
Eager to save her child, Sara decided to conceive a second child through the doctor's guided implementation to produce that 'perfect' donor to match Kate's samples.
Anna, was born to be the life support of Kate. From the day she was born, she was destined to be donating her blood and bodily substances to Kate to aid her survival.
Anna was obliging since young, until the age of thirteen, when she was told she had to donate one of her kidneys to Kate, she decided against the decision and even filed a lawsuit against her parents for medical emancipation of her own body.
With the little money she had accummulated over the years, she hired lawyer Campbell Alexander who decided to help her against all costs.
Sara was furious with Anna's decision and battled against Campbell in court to retain her daughter in her own house. The court initially relented but when Campbell lodged a complaint that Sara could harass Anna at home, making her change her mind about the lawsuit, the court appointed Julia Romano as Anna's Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) whose job is to understand and decide what is best in Anna's interests.
While Sara was fuming over Anna's decision, Brian decided to try to understand his younger daughter's decision and even agreed that it was the best for her. At the same time, the troubled couple had to deal with the antics of their rebellious and troubled eldest teenage son, Jesse.
Anna stayed with her father, Brian at the fire station quarters where he worked while Sara took care of the dying Kate in the hospital.
Sara defended herself in court and tried to persuade Anna to donate her kidney to Kate as a final favor to save her life.
Anna refused this offer and Campbell took his stand in court.
The wilful Sara turned to a passionate mother in court, begging Anna for Kate's last chance of survival.
During the lawsuit, a surprising revelation took a twist when Anna revealed that it was Kate who asked Anna to initiate this lawsuit for medical emancipation because Kate did not want her sister to sacrifice for her anymore and she has decided that she did not want to live and suffer any longer, and she knows she will die anyway.
The shocking revelation stunned the whole court, and Sara refused to believe it despite Anna telling about the various incidents that Kate had tried to take her own life over the years.
Anna won the court case eventually, and Campbell was granted the authority and medical power as Anna's attorney to aid her decisions in all her medical treatments, etc.
When Campbell drove Anna home after the trial, they were involved in a serious accident where they were hit by a truck. Brian was dispatched to the scene and tried to revive the unconscious Anna who suffered a major injury to her head and when she arrived in the hospital, the doctors pronounced her brain dead and that the parents would want to consider any organ transplants.
Campbell declared that there is a patient upstairs in need of a kidney and Anna's kidney was successfully transplanted in her own sister, Kate.
At the end of the book, Kate was still alive after 6 years.
Character Analysis:
Anna Fitzgerald
The purposely-conceived child by Sara and Brian for Kate's survival. Since young, she was admitted to hospitals continuously whenever Kate collapses despite being a healthy person herself. She had to endure the pain of the treatments and injections for the sake of Kate. She did not understand what was happening, she did not want it to happen to herself but she was just thrown into it unwillingly. Nobody took notice of how she wanted to live her life, and everyone only started to pay attention to her when she filed for a lawsuit and when Kate is in a dying state in need of a kidney.
Her life was almost equivalent to non-existent; when she was ignored of all her pleas and her cries but I applaud her strength and I admire her mature way of handling situations despite being only 13. Of course, there were times when she just cried like a little girl when she felt depressed, but let's face it, how many of us had gone through a life like Anna's without feeling suicidal at all?
Kate Fitzgerald:
She was a healthy baby, until two, when she was diagnosed with a rare blood and bone marrow cancer and since then, she was like a ticking bomb, just waiting for the day of her death. She suffered for years, despite being aided medically by the donations of bodily substances by her beloved sister, Anna.
She felt depressed at her own state, and how she could never be normal like other girls her age. She had lost her hair and she looked awful and she dare not walk out of the door without feeling miserable as she does not own the lovely hair nor looks of her own pride. When she met a boy she loved at the hospital, she had to meet with devastation when he died and she knew that her life was bound for that; death.
That was the main reason she did not want her own sister, Anna to continuously sacrifice for her when she knew that she would not survive for long. She knew her mother would not listen, and she worked with Anna to file for that lawsuit for medical emancipation, despite knowing her mother would be angry.
She did not want to live anymore, and she did not want her sister Anna to be totally deprived of her own life for her.
I truly applaud Kate's courage and selflessness for her sister, despite being the sick one who got all the attention in this story.
She was truly an amazing character who just wanted everyone else to be happy.
Truly, Kate and Anna are my most amazing novel characters!
Jesse Fitzgerald
The eldest son of the Fitzgeralds and the elder brother of both Kate and Anna. He was also deprived of attention and harboured anger towards their parents for neglecting him. In his bid for attention during his sister's law turmoil, he committed a few crimes.
I pity Jesse as he was also, mostly neglected since he was a child (or since Kate was born). He was worse than Anna actually; at least Anna was remembered when Kate collapsed but Jesse was always on the hind, and he never did have a chance to enjoy activities with his parents like other children. His parents went back on their promises whenever Kate was in an emergency and over the years, who could blame his resentful behavior towards Kate and his parents?
He was closer to Anna, and in fact, he was the one who helped Anna in the lawsuit from the background and when Anna died in the end, he turned over a new leaf and became a law enforcer for a change.
Brian Fitzgerald
Father of the Jesse, Kate and Anna, and a dedicated fireman. He was the most understanding and composed character in the story, and to a certain extent, he played the role of a mediator in most situations. I loved how he never blamed Anna for her decision and even fought to defend her, despite risk incurring his wife's wrath. However, he had his sentiments too when he was torn in between at the court; between his two daughters and his wife. He was more harsh with his son, but I guess that's the norm with most dads.
I liked his parental character the most, and he was the one, I felt, who showed the most compassion for Anna.
Campbell Alexander
A man who had a bitter past himself and was in pain for losing the one woman he loved. He specialized in children cases, and he was initially resistent towards Anna's case as she did not have enough to pay him but he eventually took up the case. What started as a selfish bid to gain popularity for himself turned into a personal emotional race when he experienced the emotions and compassion felt for Anna throughout her life.
He cared for Anna like his own daughter and fought for her best interests; I truly liked this character.
Julia Romano
Appointed Guardian Ad Litem by the court for Anna, and the former love interest of Campbell Alexander. She never did understand the reason Campbell broke up with her during their teenage love relationship and misunderstood him as a player. However, when she found out about Campbell's medical condition(Epilepsies), she forgave him and they got back together. She loved Anna as well, and it was unique that for the first time in her GAL assignments, she was unable to reach a recommendation for the court, as she starts to understand the Fitzgerald's family.
She was torn between the interests of Anna, and the concerns of Sara as a devoted mother and the sick and dying Kate.
Sara Fitzgerald
I left her the last because I felt different emotions for this character; but mostly anger.
She was too obsessed with Kate's medical condition that she never stopped to think for Anna and Jesse. She was too stubborn with her own views and even when she softened down with Anna, it was to plead with her guilt to donate that kidney!
Sometimes, I wonder whether she did love Anna at all.
At the same time, I understood the emotional struggle she had as a mother to ensure the best of all her children but still, I could not help feeling that she only had Kate's best interests at heart.
I felt really angry with this character, despite her constant struggles and conversations with her sister and how she was on the verge of breaking down, but really, she should take a step back sometimes to understand how Anna and Jesse felt.
She was just too stubborn for her own good.
My personal opinion:
I was really saddened by Anna's narration right from the start; being the child who felt like she was deprived of attention and love from the very beginning.
At 13, she felt like she was only created for a reason; to save her sister and without that purpose, she meant nothing to the family.
(It was evident when she left the dining table and no one noticed).
I emphatized with her emotional struggle with guilt, pity and prioritizing herself for once. It was a load of emotional supply for a young girl like her.
It was a journey filled with anxiety and misery when Anna took that step to file for a lawsuit and it seemed that nobody understood her at all, except for her lawyer, guardian ad litem and father. She was deeply saddened by her mother's rage and wanted to just leave everything behind and run to her arms, but yet she knew it was wrong.
It was understandable when Anna revealed that it was Kate's request to do so, which was why she held on firmly to the lawsuit despite her continuous give-ups right from the start. I was surprised at how indecisive she was until I found out that it was not her, it was the struggle to fulfill what Kate wanted.
I truly pitied Anna, who lived her life for EVERY one around her, except herself and I hated Sara, a mother who clearly had no compassion for this 'donor' child.
She seemed to emphasize more on Kate, the sick child, and yes, it was understandable to shower Kate with more attention due to her medical condition, but not to the extent of neglecting your other two children who was deprived of a normal childhood and growing up phase.
Furthermore, it was morally disturbing that she created a child to lengthen her sick child's livelihood.
It seemed wrong to me, but even if she did so, she should have been more accommodating to Anna in all her needs.
I felt so sad with each of Anna's pleas when she wanted to just go back to her mother and drop the whole lawsuit, and yet Sara was only trying to persuade her to donate her kidney.
When Anna eventually won, she had to die...this was when I felt truly upset and angered with Jodi Picoult's decision but yet, when I took some time to think about it, perhaps it was a good way to end because even if Anna won the lawsuit, she would have to live with guilt for the rest of her life if Kate dies without her kidney.
Either way, Anna would still be unhappy and this way, she would be alleviated of her sorrows and guilt throughout the lawsuit.
My Verdict:
READ this book by all means, it is truly a great read and gives you a good thought on what is morally right or wrong and that there is always a thin line when it comes to emotional struggle.
I heard that there is a movie produced too; starring Cameron Diaz but the movie had a change in the storyline and the ending.
Before you watch the movie, I highly recommend the book but be warned ahead, if you are one who cannot accept unexpected and unfavorable endings which could lead to anger and destruction, you might want to think twice.
I know I did not want to read Jodi Picoult for a while after reading this book, because she killed poor Anna =P
