A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult - Reshevled Books

Hellooooooo Dewey Readers!

I received a copy of Jodi Picoult's novel A Spark of Light which is to be released this Fall.  *Yippeeeee!*


Picoult is known for her novels that tackle controversial issues.  A Spark of Light tackles the abortion controversy and mass shooting epidemic.  I was really excited for this book and I was 110% sure that I was going to love it... only I didn't.  

Usually when I read a Picoult novel, I have trouble putting it down.  And I did read this one rather fast, but only because I wanted to finish it quickly so I could pass on to my grandma and then give it back to the co-worker I borrowed it from.  

So, to give you a gist of the main story line: In this novel a shooter opens fire inside a women's health clinic, and yes, this clinic preforms abortions.  But just as other Planned Parenthood-esc clinics do, they also preform other health services.  One of these services is to supply birth control, and we meet a young girl and her aunt who are in the waiting room when the shooter opens fire.  The young girl is the daughter of a police officer / hostage negotiator is is called to the scene.  He is a single father, and the daughter was too embarrassed to tell him that she wanted birth control.  

But now let's talk about why I didn't love it.  This novel focuses on the controversay surrounding abortions, but I wanted it to go into more depth about the other services these clinics offer such as STD screenings, prenatal care referrals, birth control for pregnancy AND health reasons, cancer screenings, etc.  There is one woman in the novel who uses the clinic for regular visits.  This is where she finds out she has cervical cancer.  I think the novel would have benefited in strength if more examples such as these were discussed.  

The novel also focuses primarily on what is going on inside the hostage situation.  There are bits of flashbacks to the past, and there are also flashes to another character named Beth, a teenager who is in a hospital after having almost bled to death from an illegal self-preformed abortion.  She's being persecuted for murder, but there just wasn't enough of her story line throughout the greater whole of the novel to make much of an impact.  

Basically, I wanted to see more.  More of the shooter's life before he entered the clinic.  More of Beth.  And more of the clinic itself.  This novel could have been so much more powerful, and I'm little disappointed.

So Dewey Readers, I'm giving you a rating of 3 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  

Until the next read!

~Jessica