I have only known her for two years. But if you took every memory, every moment, if you stretched them end to end - they'd reach forever. ~ My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult
The list I gave him was short ~ a nail file, some eye shadow, maybe a tube of lip gloss, and books. I didn't even give him specifics, only two authors that I'd been interested in reading. Anne Tyler and Jodi Picoult. Tyler, because I'd flipped through her novels while standing in a WaldenBooks and found my brief glimpse into her style to be neatly descriptive. Picoult? No real reason. She was a local gal who had done a reading nearby last year (which I missed, despite telling a professor that I'd be there. So, perhaps it was guilty conscious?)
In any event, he bought me a book by each of them for Christmas morning. I took on Tyler first - an easy, uncomplicated read. And this week, I've started My Sister's Keeper by Picoult. I'm on page 75 and struggling.
It's the story of a 13 year old girl seeking medical emancipation from her parents, who was genetically engineered her to be a bone marrow match for her cancerous sister. It's a fascinating story told through the eyes of several characters (including the 13 year old, the lawyer, the mother and the father, etc.)
It's the mother's voice that is making it difficult for me to read. She tells the story of her two-year old daughter's diagnosis - in a blow by blow account of bruises and fevers, viles of blood and IV lines. It's the story of the fragility of life - and of a parent being brought face to face with the unthinkable, unimaginable reality that their child is dying.
Had I read this before The Boss, I would have found it a well-written, interesting page-turner. But, reading it as a parent brings me to my knees.
In my previous life, I was a civil attorney. At one point I truly believed that was what I wanted to be - but that was before I'd been handed a fistful of crushed violets from a toddler. Before I understood that the smile of a child is a tattoo: indelible art. ~ Picoult
The list I gave him was short ~ a nail file, some eye shadow, maybe a tube of lip gloss, and books. I didn't even give him specifics, only two authors that I'd been interested in reading. Anne Tyler and Jodi Picoult. Tyler, because I'd flipped through her novels while standing in a WaldenBooks and found my brief glimpse into her style to be neatly descriptive. Picoult? No real reason. She was a local gal who had done a reading nearby last year (which I missed, despite telling a professor that I'd be there. So, perhaps it was guilty conscious?)
In any event, he bought me a book by each of them for Christmas morning. I took on Tyler first - an easy, uncomplicated read. And this week, I've started My Sister's Keeper by Picoult. I'm on page 75 and struggling.
It's the story of a 13 year old girl seeking medical emancipation from her parents, who was genetically engineered her to be a bone marrow match for her cancerous sister. It's a fascinating story told through the eyes of several characters (including the 13 year old, the lawyer, the mother and the father, etc.)
It's the mother's voice that is making it difficult for me to read. She tells the story of her two-year old daughter's diagnosis - in a blow by blow account of bruises and fevers, viles of blood and IV lines. It's the story of the fragility of life - and of a parent being brought face to face with the unthinkable, unimaginable reality that their child is dying.
Had I read this before The Boss, I would have found it a well-written, interesting page-turner. But, reading it as a parent brings me to my knees.
In my previous life, I was a civil attorney. At one point I truly believed that was what I wanted to be - but that was before I'd been handed a fistful of crushed violets from a toddler. Before I understood that the smile of a child is a tattoo: indelible art. ~ Picoult
Labels: Reading
2 Comments:
Mella -Sounds like a great book.
I'm sure yours will be equally well written and intense. Happy reading. :)
Peace,
- Neo
Wow, that last quote is gorgeous. I can relate. Before I became a mom, the job description didn't sound very appealing. But of course now I wouldn't have it any other way.
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