The astonishing new novel from #1New York Times bestselling
author Jodi Picoult about a family torn apart by an
accusation of murder. They tell me I'm lucky to have a son
who's so verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can
take apart the broken microwave and have it working again an
hour later. They think there is no greater hell than having
a son who is locked in his own world, unaware that there's a
wider one to explore. But try having a son who is locked in
his own world, and still wants to make a connection. A son
who tries to be like everyone else, but truly doesn't know
how. Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome.
He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself
well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a
special focus on one subject -- in his case, forensic
analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to
the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the
cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then
his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change,
the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark
behaviors of Asperger's -- not looking someone in the eye,
stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect -- can look a lot
like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and
his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight
shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a
brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that
always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's
another indication of why nothing is normal because of
Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question
looms: Did Jacob commit murder? Emotionally powerful from
beginning to end, House Rules looks at what it means to be
different in our society, how autism affects a family, and
how our legal system works well for people who communicate a
certain way -- and fails those who don't.
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