Jody Picoult’s (Pee-KOE) books tackle difficult issues and moral choices, which have no clear-cut, black or white answers. A reviewer for “Library Journal” described Picoult’s novels best when she wrote, that they are “like Russian nesting dolls, with each plot unveiling a subplot, leading to an ending that readers never see coming.” This is certainly true of Picoult’s sixteenth novel, “Handle with Care”. In it Picoult tackles issues of medical ethics, faith and the law.
Six year-old Willow O’Keefe was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, Type III (OI), a rare congenital defect that causes brittle bones. OI is often fatal. Although Willow survived, she suffered seven in utero fractures plus four more at birth. In her short lifetime she endured 68 fractures. Her mother Charlotte gave up a promising career as a pastry chef to dedicate her life to caring for Willow, but the family struggles with staggering medical costs.
While on vacation to Disney World, Willow fractures a bone. Her parents Sean and Charlotte are arrested for child abuse. Before the situation can be resolved, the O’Keefe’s are jailed, and Amelia, their other daughter, is sent to a foster home for a night. This disastrous vacation leads the family to seek legal advice
Although they have no recourse for action against the authorities in Orlando, attorneys tell the O’Keefes that they can file a wrongful birth suit against their ob-gyn. The suit against the doctor accuses her of malpractice for not discovering the condition early in the pregnancy. Charlotte, a practicing Catholic, claims she would have aborted the fetus with an early diagnosis. Charlotte believes the suit is the answer to all their financial problems; however, the ob-gyn is her best friend, Piper.
Money is the driving force for the lawsuit. Charlotte wants to ensure Willow’s future welfare, but the lawsuit tears the O’Keefe family apart. Told in the alternating points-of-view of the main characters, readers appreciate the complex motivations of the main characters and the anguish the lawsuit causes for all involved. It is a wonderfully written book.
If this is an author you enjoy, the library has 11 other Jodi Picoult novels.
“Harvesting the Heart” - Child abandonment
“The Pact” – A murder/suicide pact.
“Keeping Faith” – Religion, faith healing and the supernatural
“Plain Truth” – Teen pregnancy, religion and justice
“Perfect Match” - Child sexual abuse
“Picture Perfect” – A less that picture perfect life
“My Sister’s Keeper” – Medical ethics
“Vanishing Acts” – Amnesia
“Tenth Circle” – Rage and date rape
“Nineteen Minutes” - Bullying and school violence.
“Change of Heart” – Death penalty, redemption and forgiveness
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