[Review] The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult 
Publisher: Atria Books
Publishing Date: 2013
460 Pages
Format: Hardcover, purchased

Synopsis 

Some stories live forever....

Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day's breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother's death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage's grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can't, and they become companions.

Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shameful secret - one that nobody else in town would ever suspect - and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well.  With her own identity suddenly challenged, and the integrity of the closest friend she's ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she's made about her life and her family. When does a moral choice become a moral imperative? And where does one draw the line between punishment and justice, forgiveness and mercy?

In this searingly honest novel, Jodi Picoult gracefully explores the lengths we will go in order to protect our families and to keep the past from dictating the future.

My Review

Every time I pick up a Jodi Picoult novel, I know that I'm in for an amazing journey filled with incredibly tough issues, both moral and legal. Once again, her story sucked me and in wouldn't let go. Even after I finished the very last page, I sat thinking about it for a while. I even told my fiance that I needed to tell him about the story because I couldn't stop thinking about it! There are so many questions that I found myself asking after reading this. What would I have done? Do I believe people can change so much? Do some people deserve second chances? I don't know how to answer these questions. Sure, I have some thoughts on these questions, but then I think more deeply, and I become indecisive. Give me a new situation, and my views would probably change. I honestly don't know what I would have done if I were in Sage's situation. I know that I wouldn't have made one of her choices, but some of her others, I can't be sure. It's hard to really describe what I'm talking about without giving away much of the storyline, so for the readers of my review, I apologize. All I can say is go get yourself a copy of this book! If you haven't read anything by Jodi Picoult yet, this is a wonderful place to start. I guarantee you will be hooked on her stories! It was a difficult story to read, but so incredibly thought-provoking. I can't wait to share this book with my mom and friends. Then I can finally talk about what happened without spoiling it for people who haven't read it yet! Another amazing story written by Jodi Picoult!

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