The author made some interesting choices in this book. For example, the events of the prologue--events that form the basis of much of the rest of the book--are repeated at the end of the first chapter. I thought it was unusual to have foreshadowed so directly a series of events that are that important to the plot.
Picoult gets her characters into great trouble, which I admired. Relationships that could have been superficial are explored in tremendous depths, and the author lets her flawed characters do what they know is wrong. Somehow, she manages to make their lives whole again, even after all the holes they dig for themselves.
I had two problems with this book: one is that the ending consists of two twists that are both well beyond improbable. There's just no way either one of them could have reasonably happened. And the other problem was an occasional splash of saccharine, lines so precious they undermine the author's otherwise solid writing. An example? The biggest offender for me was a sentence that came at a point in the novel when the protagonist (Nina) faces huge problems in her household, problems that affect her relationship with her husband. It's Hallowe'en, and Nina has been too preoccupied to properly prepare for the event, either for her five-year-old son or for any visiting trick-or-treaters.
Nina tosses him a helpless look; there is no candy in this house. There's nothing left that's sweet.I could have done without that one.
The book explores with some meaning the love a parent has for a child, and I think it's worth reading for that. Just accept that you might not believe everything you read in this book.
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