A SPARK OF LIGHT moved me and
shook me to the extent that I wondered if I would be able to write a
decent review. Not one to shy away from difficult topics, Jodi Picoult
tackles perhaps the most controversial one in the United States:
abortion. The premise is simple enough: a pro-life armed gunman holds
everyone hostage in an abortion clinic. The moment I read the blurb, I
knew I needed to read this book. Who better than an author with Ms.
Picoult's sensitivity, fearlessness, and intelligence to write about such a
touchy subject.
For at least the first third of the book, I was unsure if the narrative
structure would work for me: A SPARK
OF LIGHT begins at 5 p.m. -- towards the end of the hostage crisis
-- and unfolds backward until 8 a.m., to conclude at 6 p.m. It turns out
that the unconventional structure was the ideal choice. Up to a point, it
is not how it ended that matters the most, but rather which events led
to the deadly stand-off, and how everyone's past actions determined
their reasons for being at the clinic. I'm still debating whether a longer
epilogue would have been more satisfactory, but I will read the first
chapter again very soon. And I will read A SPARK OF LIGHT again. Going backward in time,
instead of a traditional timeline provides Jodi Picoult with the
opportunity to explore every facet of the rights of women versus the
rights of the fetus through each character's personal experience. A SPARK OF LIGHT is a colossal and
in-depth character study, with characters so richly drawn that every
one of them could have starred in their own book. Through those
extraordinarily ordinary people, Jodi Picoult weaves an exceptionally
compelling story of everything that lies behind a momentous decision
and how and whom it will ultimately change lives. And I must commend
Ms. Picoult on her subtlety in bestowing the same respect on each
character, on showing precisely why they acted the way they did and in
not judging their choices -- in the past as well as during the crisis. A
couple of characters touched me the most for more reasons than I
could enumerate: Izzy, a nurse, and Dr. Ward.
A SPARK OF LIGHT is superlatively
enlightening; it enriched my knowledge on the topic of reproductive
choices and the scientific facts involved; it altered my perception of
some of the decisions that people make, and I certainly will not be the
only one left unaffected, regardless of which side of the fence the
reader stands on. How very ironic that a situation that is seen as so
very black and white consists of every shade of grey imaginable. I was
already familiar with Jodi Picoult's outstanding storytelling skills, her
unique understanding of the human psyche, and I knew that A SPARK OF LIGHT would be epic
because I feel that the delicate topic was perfectly suited to Ms.
Picoult's uncompromising approach and immense talent, and A SPARK OF LIGHT exceeded every
one of my sky-high expectations.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of
Small Great Things returns with a powerful and
provocative new novel about ordinary lives that intersect
during a heart-stopping crisis.
The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a
women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff
offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then,
in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in
and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.
After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage
negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to
communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with
incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror,
finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is
inside the clinic.
But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest
few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable
characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save
the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not
in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find
that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester,
disguised as a patient, who now stands in the cross hairs of
the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has
come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed
individual himself, vowing to be heard.
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.
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