the setup…
Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed with a rare and deadly form of leukemia (APL) when she was two years old. Her four-year old brother Jessie isn’t a bone marrow match so her parents, Sara and Brian, decide to have another child to save her. Anna is the genetically designed daughter who saved Kate’s life and has continued doing so, undergoing countless surgeries and transfusions over the years. She’s now thirteen and being asked to donate an organ…and makes a decision that throws the family in turmoil.
the heart of the story…
I always count on a Picoult story to lead me down a righteous path and then throw a grenade on it. Anna’s decision to be medically emancipated from her parents felt justified as her mother Sara sacrificed everything, including her other two children’s livelihoods, for the sake of Kate, now sixteen. But things aren’t so simple and I found myself vacillating between everyone’s points of view as new perspectives were added to the mix.
the narration…
It’s a full cast narration and it made a big difference with so many points of view. Each voice was distinctive and all were talented storytellers. I enjoyed the individual and overall performances.
the bottom line…
It’s a fascinating, heartbreaking and provocative story that challenged my views and made me consider all angles. Do you sacrifice one child’s well being to save the life of another or just give up? There aren’t any clear cut choices and I became completely invested in this family. What would you decide?
Book Info
- Release Date: March 19, 2016
- Narrators: Richard Poe, Julia Gibson, Barbara McCullough, Tom Stechschulte, Carol Monda, Jennifer Ikeda & Andy Paris
- Audio Length: 13 hours, 41 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
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Fantastic review, Jo. Sounds like a great thought provoking listen!
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