With the movie coming out and my reading mood being more open to the topic, I decided to delve into this book. I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated, and I didn’t do the math but I liked almost 95% of it, which is quite high for a percentage.
Anna is the first “designer”, genetically engineered baby – not because her parents wanted her to be taller, prettier, or smarter, but because they needed a bone marrow match for their oldest daughter Kate, who has a rare form of leukemia. First it was the umbilical cord blood that was necessary, but now, after countless blood and marrow donations, it’s a kidney. But Anna’s thirteen, and struggling to separate her identity from Kate’s. Suddenly she finds her burgeoning self-awareness and duty to her parents’ wills conflicting. So Anna takes the extreme route and sues for medical emancipation from her parents. The resulting range of emotional reactions from her family, lawyer, and all those around Anna is complex and hard to imagine, making a thought-provoking read.
We’ll start with my likes first. I liked how the controversial topic was handled. Going into it, I thought it would be more black and white, but the ethical questions and answers are endless, multifaceted, and real. For the most part, the changing POV worked well. It fit the issue, and you really got a clear handle on several possible viewpoints. Although far-fetched, I even liked the subplot between the ad litem counselor Julie and high school boyfriend Campbell, Anna’s lawyer. I enjoyed 2 out of 3 twists and Jodi Picoult‘s writing, sans the astronomy analogies. After the first few setup chapters, I was compelled to read until I knew the character’s fates.
The first thing that bothered me was that I had no clue how old Anna was supposed to be after reading her first few chapters. Her voice sounded so mature and knowledgeable, I was certain she was 17 or 18. Secondly, I was uncomfortable with some of the decisions of Sara, Anna’s mother. In words it seemed like she loved her children equally, but her actions spoke differently, and Jesse and Anna went neglected frequently and at very young ages. But none of this compares to the final chapter, which was completely incompatible with the rest of the book. I absolutely HATED the ending and couldn’t finish the epilogue, I was so angry. It was contrived; it was manipulative; it was unrealistic; and worst of all, it was a cop out to an otherwise smart, engaging, uncompromising story. If you want to read My Sister’s Keeper, do yourself a favor and only read up until the judge has made his decision. As for me, I will not be reading another Picoult book.
