A SPARK OF LIGHT by Jodi Picoult
is about people, their beliefs, and THE traumas that lead them on their
current life paths. The story takes place during the span of a working
day, a climax that's been building for a lifetime. Also, the narrative is
backward, it gives you the ending in the first chapter (minus the
suspense, of course) and then goes backward, hourly. Each character's
account of how hey came to the health center is told.
Throughout the book, there is an ongoing debate about abortion,
because one of the characters is a pro-life supporter protesting along
with pro-choice supporters voicing their opinions, too. The emotions
and sensitivity surrounding one of the most highly controversial topics
of our times is dealt with firmly and both sides are given an equal
platform.
Going into reading A SPARK OF
LIGHT, I wasn't sure how it would turn out. It is presented with
diverse characters in the midst of a tense and volatile hostage
situation. A SPARK OF LIGHT is
not your usual read. It makes you stop and think about making urgent
decisions, and how those decisions have everlasting effects. This is my
first read by Jodi Picoult, and it was a good way to get a taste of her
writing. Not taking away from the writing at all, there were a few
frustrating moments for me; it was very tempting to just fast forward
and read the ending. I had some many questions and wasn't sure how
they would all come together. So, have patience, don't read the ending
as tempting as it may be. You will only see the "spark of light" if you
follow the author's narrative. Overall this was a good read for me.
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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