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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Review - Jodi Picoult's The Tenth Circle

Most of Jodi Picoult's books deals with families and often families who are troubled. This one is no exception. A simple teenager's inability to cope with love and heart break, the resultant disasters it
brings about and a father's main focus to protect his daughter at whatever cost.

Trixie is in high school when she falls in love with Jason who dumps her. This would be the normal teenage angst but for Trixie it is heartbreak because she believes that this is love of the everlasting kind. She is also willing to do anything including sleeping with other mates of Jason in order that he will get jealous and maybe realize what he is missing.  Reading even this part of the story was for me very difficult.  Trixie was able to get through her everyday life with personal crisis after crisis and her mother and father were not aware of what was happening.

Both parents were loving, considerate parents. The father had been the sole caregiver of Trixie whilst the mother went to work. At this time the mother was also involved in an affair with a student and she was in her own little world unaware that her husband was fully aware of what was happening. Maybe he too did not want to acknowledge that his whole world was changing before his eyes and not for the better and he preferred to be an ostrich and pretend that nothing was happening. When he did open his eyes it was far too late.

One night at a party with Trixie drunk and having consumed drugs, she comes home with a tale that she was raped by Jason. To everyone around her Trixie was asking for it. It also perplexed Jason himself who could not believe that she was bringing the charge against him. Jason was a popular boy and this divided everyone in college into camps. In Trixie's camp there was only herself because everyone knew that she was mad for Jason and had repeatedly told her friends she would do anything to get him back.

The story goes on from there but it is definitely controversial, and you do get sucked into the story. This is a very strong book and it will linger in your mind for a long time.

Will be away from my computer for another four days!

7 comments:

  1. I thought this book was pretty interesting when I read it a few years ago. I remember watching the Lifetime movie adaptation and being angry that they changed the ending.

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  2. I read this in the year that it was initially released and recall enjoying it, but I do not recall all of the details today sadly. Glad you seemed to enjoy it.

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  3. Glad you enjoyed this one Mystica. I read it a few years back and watched the movie and enjoyed both. Picoult's books do seem to make good movies.

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  4. I'd like to read this, it sounds dramatic as Piccoult's novels always are

    Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

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  5. I really enjoyed this book when I read it Mystica but that was so many years ago!

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  6. I thought this one was an intense, compelling read but I don't think there's a Jodi Picoult book I haven't liked :)

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  7. I've read most of Picoult's books including this one but I don't really remember it unfortunately. I didn't find it as powerful as My Sister's Keeper but it was good to read while I was reading.

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