Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
From GOODREADS: Edward Warren, twenty-four, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.
With her father’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?
Lone Wolf explores the notion of family, and the love, protection and strength it’s meant to offer. But what if the hope that should sustain it, is the very thing that pulls it apart? Another tour de force from Jodi Picoult, Lone Wolf examines the wild and lonely terrain upon which love battles reason
My Thoughts: First of all, the reason for reading this novel is that I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult. There are only a couple of her books that I have not read, but plan to at some time. Like Jodi Picoult's other novels, Lone Wolf deals with real life issues; situations that no one wants to find themselves in but that we know people deal with every single day. For me, being able to identify with real life issues, and real life characters(without reading Non-Fiction), keeps me reading from page 1 to the end.
The authenticity of rankings of a wolf pack and how they lived were of little interest to me while reading this story. I felt the storyline of the wolf pack was used as a correlation to family (packs) The main interest was the family dynamics, the subject of traumatic brain injury, advance directives, living wills, and end-of-life care. I read a review on-line and needed to add this to my review, because I could not have said it better.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion and we definitely don't have to agree! That being said, fiction, at the end of the day, is still what it is, what fiction readers appreciate about it, and will never be anything else. I read fiction for a story. A good time. An escape from any reality I will ever know. Characters take me to far away places. I love spending time with them during the duration of a book."
One of Jodi Picoult's trademarks, if you will, is that all the different fonts are not a mistake. I enjoy her way of separating each character’s feelings, emotions and thoughts. This was wonderfully done in each chapter of the Lone Wolf.
Like other Picoult novels, there are multiple levels of conflict – from simple brother and sister arguments to court room drama, conflict between, mother and son, mother and daughter and husband and wife. Because of the way Picoult handles these conflicts, with a caring touch and balances, it was very easy for me to see and care about all parties involved in this terrible decision that had to be made.
I cannot say that I was surprised at the ending, but as always I was not disappointed. Even though I am trying to branch out and experience other authors, Jodi Picoult continues to be my favorite.
I am giving this book a 5/5 because of my favorite author.
This completes Book I for Spring Thing Challenge 2012. Now onto Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, for Book II, and the Secret Garden Read-A-Long.
Happy Reading Everyone!! See you Soon!
