My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult

I never read any book twice which is why it is such a surprise that not only did I read My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Piccoult twice but on both occasion also it made me wept my heart out. My Sister’s Keeper is the first book by Jodi Piccoult which I read and which got me addicted to her writings. She is an amazing author who touches controversial topics in her writing. Be it a gun shot in high school or a gay relationship, she is the one author who manages to touch in-depth on these topics and yet never offend anyone. She is the one author who never fails to inspire me with her writings. If I were to ask to pick any author books to read for the rest of my life, I would pick her

In My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Piccoult spins a fast-paced tale about betrayal and redemption in a family which are falling apart. It tells the story of Anna and Kate; two sisters who are bonded together by Kate’s leukaemia. Kate’s leukaemia is the sole reason on why Anna was brought into the world and also the main reason that are tearing the Fitzgerald family apart. For thirteen years, Anna was who the doctors and their mother turn to in order to save Kate from her never ending medical condition. Be it a bone marrow or leukocytes, Anna was the supplier.

No one ever asked her for her permission, they just assumed that she was willing to go through countless operations and growth shots in order for Kate to live. To finally be able to live her life without being overshadowed by her sister, Anna sued her parents for medical emancipation; to finally be able to have a say on her own body rights. And by doing that she unravels the threads that were barely holding her family together.

Not willing to let her Kate die from kidney failure, both of their mother, Sara Fitzgerald decided to go against the lawsuit. On the surface, Sara was described as the cold-hearted mother who was willing to go against anything against the odd to save her elder daughter from dying even if it means exploiting her younger daughter and neglecting her son, Jesse. Jesse was the neglected son. The first born that was forgotten in the midst of their never ending attempts of saving Kate and thus he grew up to be rebellious.

However if you look deeper, instead of seeing a cold-hearted mother, you will see a mother who is torn into two. A mother who loves her children so much that nothing she do will ever be good enough for them. Sara was put in a tight spot when she was asked to choose between her daughters; a daughter whom she had devoted her whole life to or a daughter whom she had neglected; a daughter who are dying physically or a daughter who are dying emotionally. Who will you choose if you were her?

It also makes us ponder on Anna’s action. By instigating the lawsuit, does it make her the selfish younger sister or does it shows a terrified and vulnerable thirteen years old who just wants to live?

I love this book because it made us realize that there are always two sides to a coin. It also questions our belief on right and wrong; what might be right might be wrong and what we deemed to be wrong might be right all along. This book also portrayed that there’s only a thin line separating moral and law when love and compassion are involved in the equations.

Overall, I would rate this book 11 out of 10.