Every single book that Jodi Picoult has written has taught me something about other people that I didn’t know before. She writes powerfully about incredibly topical moments, whether in history or personal life, putting herself into the shoes of so many different people. But this book, this one taught me the most about myself.
Every year there’s one book that reminds me why I love reading. This year, without question, it’s Hollow Bones.
I’ve been reading Jodi Picoult for years, and every new release comes with impossibly high expectations. Somehow, Hollow Bones didn’t just meet them – it surpassed them. In fact, I think this is the best Jodi Picoult novel I’ve ever read.
What has always set Jodi apart is her ability to take a difficult, often divisive subject and explore it with intelligence, compassion and astonishing depth. She never tells you what to think; she simply gives every character a voice, challenges your assumptions, and leaves you questioning your own beliefs long after you’ve closed the book. Hollow Bones does all of that… and then somehow goes even further.
‘I gravitated toward a career that clearly is a psychological defence mechanism for the emotional fallout I’ve dodged for twenty-five years.’
The pacing is impeccable. Within the first few pages I was gripped, duped and left stunned. The characters felt utterly real – flawed, complicated and impossible not to care about, although it didn’t start out that way. I also loved the re-visit to characters past that we’ve all longed for. No spoilers. But it is emotional. As always, the research is woven seamlessly into the story, so you come away feeling you’ve learnt something new without ever feeling like you’re being taught.
But what stayed with me most was the emotion. This is one of those books that just gets under your skin. There were moments that made me stop and reread a paragraph simply because of how perfectly observed they were. Others left me with a lump in my throat. I’ve read some fantastic books this year, but none have affected me quite like this one. It’s the first book in a long time that I finished and immediately wished I could read again for the first time.
If you’re already a Jodi Picoult fan, I think you’re going to love this. And if you’ve never picked up one of her novels before, I genuinely think this would be a brilliant place to start.
About the Book
I reach up and unravel my braid. When my hair is loose and whipping around my face, I take the red ribbon I’ve woven through it and press it just beneath my mother’s etched name, underlining. She was here. She was mine.
When Molly Fitzgerald was two months old, her mother went to a morning appointment in downtown New York.
Like so many who left their homes on September 11th, 2001, Molly’s mother never came home.
Now Molly saves lives for a living, running a department for when disasters strike.
Molly and her husband Jesse―a police polygraph expert with his own fractured family―have found a love that is a solace in a dangerous world.
But then Molly’s whole world is turned on its head. She’s spent her life preparing for catastrophe. But nothing could prepare her when a disaster strikes too close to home.
In this powerful novel, Jodi Picoult tells an epic story of the lies we tell ourselves, the plans we design to protect ourselves at the worst moments, and the ties that bind mothers and daughters.
About The Author
Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-eight novels, including Wish You Were Here, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.
Browse our Shop
Looking for your next read? Head to our shop to see what’s available. Hollow Bones is available to pre order now.
No responses yet