Review: House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Here is a summary of House Rules from Jodi Picoult's website:

HOUSE RULES is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis. 

He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do…and he’s usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. HOUSE RULES looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t. 

My Review:
Picoult does it once again for me, by taking another controversial subject to view from different perspectives.  Jacob Hunt is the young man with Aspberger's Syndrome in the story and we get a glimpse as to how this disease has affected his family as different chapters are narrated by various characters within the novel.

I loved the chapters that were narrated by Jacob.  All that I really know about Aspberger's is what I have learned on television, so it was fascinating to see things from Jacob's logical viewpoint.  I think because of the disease I found myself looking at Jacob as if he were a child, but at eighteen years old he is more of a young man.  Jacob's lack of social skills obviously keep him in a childlike state and although he will be able to minimally function in society, he will more than likely need care for the rest of his life.

Currently, the care provider role falls upon his mother Emma's shoulders.  When Jacob was diagnosed with Aspberger's at an early age, his father admitted defeat and walked out on his family, leaving Emma with all the responsibilities of raising two young boys, one needing exceptional care.  After much research about the disease, Emma hones her schedules and menus to keep things as smoothly flowing for Jacob as possible.   Being a single parent, you can only imagine how difficult it would be under these circumstances to be sure that you are offering adequate parental love and guidance to the child that does not have any medical issues.

Theo is Jacob's younger brother who longs to live a normal family life.  He doesn't want to worry about eating certain colored foods on specific days, or making sure that Jacob is home at 4:30 to watch his favorite television show.  While Theo acts out in his own way in search of the perfect family life, he also worries about when the day will come when he will be expected to be his brothers care provider.

Everything within this novel spins out of control when Jacob's social skills tutor is found dead.  When suspicion is turned towards Jacob, the organized world that he knows comes to an end.  While Emma knows how these changes will negatively affect Jacob, she finds herself having to think of ways to keep some order and logic to his world.

I truly enjoyed this novel that had us take a close look at how the legal system would deal with a similar situation under such unfortunate circumstances.  With themes of honesty, justice, Aspberger's, and family this book made a great book club selection and I'm sure it would be a great novel to pick up for leisure reading also.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  I purchased this book on my Kindle for my own entertainment and as a book club selection.

Nineteen Minutes

The following synopsis is from ReadingGroupGuides.com:

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenage daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.

Nineteen Minutes is New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult's most raw, honest, and important novel yet. Told with the straightforward style for which she has become known, it asks simple questions that have no easy answers: Can your own child become a mystery to you? What does it mean to be different in our society? Is it ever okay for a victim to strike back? And who -- if anyone -- has the right to judge someone else?

My review:

Jodi Picoult is such a talented author! I have read a few of her books but I do consider this one my favorite to date. She always seems to take such a controversial and difficult subject and give you so many different perspectives of it.

This book is about a school shooting that helps you understand why it happened from the shooter's point of view. The human dynamics and relationships within this novel were amazing. You really come to understand why Peter was driven to commit such a violent act of revenge, even though you don't agree with it.

Another important part of the novel is the strained relationship between Josie and her mother, Alex Cormier. Alex decided to be a single parent when Josie was born and also to pursue a successful career as a judge. This choice has created a rift in the mother-daughter relationship that does not get mended until the events of the tragedy unfold. You really see their relationship strengthen as they realize they can trust each other once again.

I sometimes have a hard time reading novels where the time-line jumps around on me, so it took me a little while to get used to that with this novel. I think that type of writing really added to this story, because it allowed for more of an element of surprise.

It is not very often that everyone in my book club enjoys a book, but we all loved this one! I do believe that many schools actually use this book as part of an anti-bullying campaign. I highly recommend this book!