#32: Sing Me Home by Jodi Picoult

This is not the first book by Jodi Picoult that I have ever read so I knew what I was getting myself into when I turned the first page and began reading Sing Me Home.  I even knew a little bit about the book from reading a brief article in People Magazine.  What I never expected was the vast number of hard hitting issues that were about to be thrown in my face as I opened this book.

Let's begin with infertility, a road that I have already walked down in my life.  Reading the description of the birth of a still-born baby was more than I could handle.  Then, the divorce as the husband could no longer handle any more "trying."  I felt Zoe's pain and I ached for her, a woman who so badly wanted a child, a woman who spent her life helping others deal with pain, a woman who was so good in her life and yet couldn't get the one thing she wanted more than anything. 

Next comes lesbianisn and gay marriage.  Now, this I knew about from the article in People magazine.  I was prepared for this one.  I also know how I feel about this and am distanced enough to not get caught up emotionally as I had with the infertility issue.  However, I still become outraged at times because of the way Vanessa and Zoe were treated.  Both ladies were amazing at their jobs, yet both jobs were in jeopardy because of their lifestyle.  And, I was furthermore outraged by the Minister who saw fit to judge them every step of the way when he was neither the judge in the courtroom nor God himself. 

Then, the adultery.  I have to say that I saw this one coming but was still shocked by it all.  And, I am still wanting to know more than just the quick gloss-over the end of the book gives as to how this situation played out.  It had to have been interesting and was perhaps an entire story all on its own and is perhaps the reason it was not included. 

Finally, Max.  I loved Max and then I was upset with him.  Then I was angry and disappointed.  But, good old Max came around in the end and made me smile with his ultimate choice and his ultimate decision.  I guess you'll have to weave your way through all of the mess that this book dishes out to find out what he did and why it made me happy.  But, I wasn't the only happy person at the end of the book.  Sammy, Ness, Zoe, Max, and Liddy all seemed to be smiling right along with me!