My Sister's Keeper

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I seem to have a thing for sad books right now, I don't know why...I really should break this pattern.  They seem to all be in my list of "to-reads" and I'm just trying to plow my way through.  Though, this being said, I LOVED this book, My Sister's Keeper.  Within my reading rotation, this books falls under my fiction section.  If this had been a true story I might have lost it.

The familial turmoil that heart-breakingly includes cancer within this novel gets your emotions flowing and I felt that tickle in my nose more than once.  You know what I'm talking about, that tickle you feel right before your eyes tear up and you start balling?  Yea, that one.  I never actually cried though.  It's weird..I'll cry at a sad movie, many times even if I've already seen it 257 times.  Fried Green Tomatoes...Stepmom...The Notebook...every stinkin' time.  But, I can read a book and not cry...I'll get the tickle, but no actual tears.  I think the reason for this is because I can stop, close the book and come back to it later.  If I just pushed on through...yea, I probably would have cried.  I'm a typical girl, I know it.  I cry at sad movies and tv shows. 

In essence, this book is about a young girl, Anna, who is filing for medical emmancipation from her parents.  This is because her sister, Kate, has cancer and since Anna's been born she has been Kate's lifeblood...literally.  Anna very existence began with being genetically engineered to save her sister's life and she started off her life by giving Kate her umbilical cord blood.  And it doesn't stop there...but, Anna is now prepared to make it stop, legally.

Throughout the book you learn how everyone in this family feels about the situation and the effects of Kate's illness.  Sara, the mother, is too busy trying to keep Kate alive to stop and consider how anyone else feels.  Jesse, Anna and Kate's brother, has become the epitome of a "problem child" by setting fires, drinking, taking drugs...you name it.  Brian, the father, is simply trying keep his mind straight and do the right thing to save his marriage and all his children.  Within all of this turmoil, there's also a side story...a complicated love story between Anna's lawyer and her guardian ad litem. 

The way that Jodi Picoult manages to capture how everyone feels and why they act and do the things they do is captivating.  How she manages to do this amazes me and I love her writing style.  A lot of times when authors jump back and forth between character's minds and thoughts...things get confusing...I didn't get lost or thrown off track at any point within this book. 

I currently have the 2009 film version of this book on que with Netflix, but I'm already preparing myself to be disappointed.  Everything I've read about the film states there are major changes in the plot, including a completely different ending...ugh!  I hate it when movies do this.  I mean, I totally understand when you have to change and combine certain scenes because you're trying to condense and film a 500 page book.  But, altogether changing the entire story line?? ::sigh::  We'll see!

If you haven't already read this book, I highly recommend it...just be sure and keep a box of tissue handy...