My Sister's Keeper

[Madame Adequate]

I just read this book, I started yesterday afternoon. So it was pretty compelling. I was wondering what others thought of it!

I think it's brilliant. It's the type of ending I would normally detest, but I don't for some reason.

[Rantz]

I saw the movie a little while ago! It was the emotionally strongest movie I've seen in a good while. Brilliant.

[Rocket Edge]

My sisters seen it not so long ago and they were all crying their eyes out. I walked into the room, laughed, and had to walk straight out. Never looked nor read it.

[charliepanayi]

It's an OK book, a bit sappy in places, I liked the lawyer character and the mystery of why he had his dog with him all the time. But in contrast I hated the ending, and thought it was a bit of a cop-out, like they needed to tie up all the loose ends really quickly.

[Madame Adequate]

I think the ending was pretty great. After thinking about it for a bit, I realize that the book has really highlighted how subjective my caring was.

I cared for Anna, I rooted for Anna - I didn't really give much of a crap about Kate. Of course, I was rooting for someone to win a court battle, which would kill her sister.

Secondly, the major theme of the book is control. Every character is concerned with control in some way or another. The most obvious is Anna, of course, who wants control over her own body. But Kate wants control, to choose her death. Sara wants control, to keep Kate alive. Brian wants control, and though he is more pragmatic and accepting of Kate's eventual fate he is VERY determined to be the one who provides for his family. Jesse wants control and demonstrates it through his pyromania, something explicitly stated by Brian. The characters outside the family all have their own stuff in much the same vein; Campbell, Julia, etc. etc.

And then in the end Anna wins and it doesn't matter. Kate doesn't die. Some people do get what they want, or something approaching it, and most seem to come to terms with their situations. But the point is - the point of the whole book, in my eyes - that regardless of our desires and even our successes, we can't guarantee control.

[scrumpleberry]

I read the book ages ago, I really don't remember much about it or it being especially extraordinary. I need to look back at it again as everyone who talks about it loves it so much!

[charliepanayi]

I think the ending was pretty great. After thinking about it for a bit, I realize that the book has really highlighted how subjective my caring was.

I cared for Anna, I rooted for Anna - I didn't really give much of a crap about Kate. Of course, I was rooting for someone to win a court battle, which would kill her sister.

Secondly, the major theme of the book is control. Every character is concerned with control in some way or another. The most obvious is Anna, of course, who wants control over her own body. But Kate wants control, to choose her death. Sara wants control, to keep Kate alive. Brian wants control, and though he is more pragmatic and accepting of Kate's eventual fate he is VERY determined to be the one who provides for his family. Jesse wants control and demonstrates it through his pyromania, something explicitly stated by Brian. The characters outside the family all have their own stuff in much the same vein; Campbell, Julia, etc. etc.

And then in the end Anna wins and it doesn't matter. Kate doesn't die. Some people do get what they want, or something approaching it, and most seem to come to terms with their situations. But the point is - the point of the whole book, in my eyes - that regardless of our desires and even our successes, we can't guarantee control.

I thought the ending was a complete cheat. We know that whatever the verdict is, it'll rip the family apart, as the parents have already taken their own individual sides. By having Anna die in an accident and with it saving Kate, it's a deus ex machina moment that means the verdict becomes irrelevant, and the family gets to be united through grief. It's like the author didn't want to tackle the dilemma she raised in the end. And as for Jesse becoming a policeman, I laughed out loud at that bit.

[Miriel]

I enjoyed it until the end at which point I threw the book aside in disgust.

It wasn't that I'm not into shocking or sad endings, cause that's actually the stuff I'm totally into. But in this case, it just seemed so fake. So unnecessary. Like the author wrote 3/4s of the book and then just sort of forgot about the rest until she had to throw something together for her publishers. It seemed twisty just for the sake of being non-conventional. I'm glad they changed the ending for the film version.

[The Man]

Her books fly off the shelf at work. I haven't picked any of them up yet but the one she's publishing next year sounds like something I might read due to the topic matter.

[Rye]

I'm usually not a fan of Picoult (her endings are generally abhorrent), but I did actually enjoy the ending of MSK as well. Aren't you glad I kept harassing you to read it? xD