A Spark of Light - Jodi Picoult

A Spark of Light – Jodi Picoult (2018)

When Vonita opened the doors of the Center that morning, she had no idea that it would be for the last time.

Wren has missed school to come to the Center, the sole surviving women’s reproductive health clinic in the state, chaperoned by her aunt, Bex. Olive told Peg she was just coming for a check-up. Janine is undercover, a pro-life protester disguised as a patient. Joy needs to terminate her pregnancy. Louie is there to perform a service for these women, not in spite of his faith, but because of it.

When a desperate and distraught gunman bursts into the Center, opening fire and taking everyone hostage, Hugh McElroy is the police negotiator called to the scene. He has no idea that his fifteen-year-old daughter is inside.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.

Jodi Picoult – one of the most fearless writers of our time – tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation … and, hopefully, understanding.

My Review of A Spark of Light

(4 / 5)

Jodi Picoult is one of those reliable authors that manage to keep you turning the pages with every one of their books that you read. I was really excited to read her new one A Spark of Light because I know she always delivers the goods! A book that grabs at both sides of the story, sucks you in and brings in all the feels! This time it is about abortion.

Hugh is a police negotiator called in to talk to a gunman after he opens fire at an abortion clinic. Things get very complicated for Hugh when he discovers that his 15 year-old daughter is in the clinic with his sister. Can he get this gunman to spare the hostages? Why did he open fire?

As always, characters and human relationships are front and centre in this tale. Each character has a unique story, encouraging the reader to empathise with them no matter what their viewpoint. The women in the clinic, the police negotiator and the gunman himself all have a story to delve into and she does it so well! Although I struggled to empathise with the gunman, I still found myself getting sucked into his story.

I loved the way this story was written. It starts at the end and then makes it’s way back one chapter at a time. I thought that I would get confused, but Picoult is a master at what she does. It flowed cleverly and seamlessly and there was no confusion at all.

The one thing that I didn’t like about this book were the twists. I saw EVERY single one of them coming. Certain things were put into place earlier in the novel that I found to make things really obvious, so when the big reveals occurred I was left feeling slightly underwhelmed. However, hopefully that’s just me, and others reading will not have that problem.

The subject matter is controversial of course, and like the majority of her books – she makes you think. And I certainly did ponder what my personal views were, not so much on being for or against abortion, but more about the technicalities of when is a baby actually a baby, and where exactly does that line between the rights of the unborn and the rights of the woman meet.

As always, Picoult has done her research. A LOT of research. There was a particularly graphic medical procedure scene in there that unexpectedly took my breath away. It was done as tastefully as it could be, and certainly made me ponder and re-evaluate my own beliefs. This book brought up a lot of emotions, but it was worth it!