keeping faith

Every bit the kind of mesmerizing, breathtaking story you would expect from Picoult, this novel is special even by those high standards. For the first time with one of her books, I found myself liking nearly every single character, so that no one narrative was a bore or pain to read, and even more surprising, the ending was exactly what I would have had it be. I can see why some people would be turned away by this one – Picoult herself even comments in her acknowledgements section on people’s tendency to turn away from talking about God – but it was so honest, and without some of the drama and preachiness that sometimes lightly infect her other works. I loved how simple but thoughtful the writing was, and how the themes of family, motherhood, love, and religion were always being woven together and re-examined in a new light. Really an incredible, uplifting read (but Plain Truth still holds as my favorite Picoult).