Alex and Lacy are mothers whose lives crash into each other as a result of a tragic event. Though they possess different parental styles, the women simultaneously face inner turmoil and self doubt in how they reared their children. They are uncertain of their role and standing in their children’s lives. Josie and Peter are young adults trying to figure out life and how they exist in the world. But lurking just beneath the surface of their identity, is the pure unadultered truth of who they really are. That particular fact shows up differently in Josie and Peter, causing them to travel slightly different paths.
For Peter, what is has always been. For Josie, it’s a very fine line she walks that shuffles her between two very different worlds. For Peter there is absolution in how he exists in the world. For Josie, her identity is warped within her inner self. She’s aware of who she is deep down but struggles with the person she presents to the world. This causes a painful inner turmoil in her. Will she find the tools to soothe her tortured soul?
What about Alex and Lacy? When things are brought to the light, will they continue to let self doubt wash over them? Or will they accept that other factors also play a role in how life turns out for an individual?
I felt this story with my whole heart. I ached for certain characters in different ways. It seemed that Alex could not find her footing as a parent, while Lacy was initially confident in her role as a parent. However, everything Lacy thought she had right was soon placed under a microscope, prime for dissection. Lacy’s husband, Lewis, was detached in my opinion. He kept measuring reality against formulas and probabilities. I kept wanting him to be in the moment, to stare at the truth in its fullness. He did show glimpses of that in a few situations, which was good.
The story left me with several takeaways. It’s easy to judge others while you are standing outside their world. But when life sends you challenges, how you handle a situation is based on many factors, not isolated ones. It’s never just one thing. How you handle things can be affected by your experiences, your viewpoints shaped by those experiences, your feelings about yourself and the world, and the truth as you know it to be in your mind. Sometimes it’s hard to see other people’s truth if you staunchly view the world differently. It can be possible but it requires compassion and empathy. If you don’t have those traits and are not willing to find them, then hope in some situations will remain dire.
I read another novel by Jodi Picoult years ago (Small Great Things) which I enjoyed also. After reading this novel, Picoult has secured a place as a favored storyteller. I like how she can leave me bewildered with all the complexities in the story. More times than not, I questioned myself on how I really felt about a situation in the story. She arrests the reader in how she delivers her stories. If you want to be challenged in how you think you view things, Picoult masters this as an author.
Rating: 10/10
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