Jodi Picoult is nothing if not consistent. Since the release of her first novel in 1992 (Songs of the Humpback Whale) the American-born author has published over a dozen novels; making a name for herself as a prolific, if not exceptionally skilled writer.
Her books, in which reoccurring characters are known to cross-populate the narratives, often concern the trials of troubled families and the strain marital relationships; or else deal with topical “hot-potatoes”, an example being Nineteen Minutes (2007) which centred on a fictitious high school shooting.
Despite being reviled by critics, in particular the New York Times which called her tear-jerker Change of Heart (2008) – long-winded, formulaic and without substance, her novels continue to top the best-seller lists on both sides of the Atlantic.
Her latest offering Handle with Care centres on Willow a child suffering from a rare genetic condition that stunts her growth physically but not, crucially, emotionally. In fact the author suggests that because she is excluded from sports the child’s mental development increases at an inversely proportional rate to her disability.
It is this framing of her novels within something approaching a Hollywood tagline that infuriates many of her critics; using tailored scenarios to raise thorny moral questions leads to criticism that narratives struggle under the weight of the over-wrought premises. Her books often employ dramatic twists and are peppered with wafer-thin characters (a street-talking, low-rider driving Priest – for example).
And yet Picoult, through her novels, has endeared herself to millions of readers and has recently had her novel My Sister’s Keeper (2004) adapted into a motion picture, starring Cameron Diaz.
With a whirlwind promotional tour, the imminent release of a film based on her work and another novel already being mapped out, the Picoult juggernaut shows no signs of slowing. Resistance is futile. Widely popular with her fanatical fan base, her fiction, like soap operas, provides fast food for the brain, albeit it stodgy and slightly under-cooked that will no doubt keep people everywhere in a satisfied stupor for some time to come.
