Heather's Reviews > House Rules

I think I need to stop reading Picoult. I picked this up from the "new!" shelf at the library, and thought I'd give it a shot over the holiday weekend, even though I've been taking a break from her writing. As I was telling someone a few weeks ago, Picoult's books are fairly formulaic: mama bear fiercely protects child (who generally has some disability or serious problem) from the world; optional so-called "normal" sibling is angry and neglected but understanding. Estranged/divorced/remote other parent is not involved with situation. Enter crisis that tests child/mother in some way. Enter optional love interest for mother, which muddles things. Finish story with strange and unsatisfying twist that leaves the reader wondering why she invested several hours of time caring about these characters. Why did I think (hope?) that this book would be different? When I read the first one, it was novel. Now that I've read all of them, I know that this is her schtick, and this book fits right in with the rest.
I'd love to read Picoult's take on other kinds of situations (non-parenting, friendships, other kinds of relationships) but I'm tired of the mothering books. [I know that there's a book where the father is the main protector of the child (The Tenth Circle), but the rest of the basic description holds true.:]