A SPARK OF LIGHT by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult is a serious writer. She shows this by choosing serious topics as the framework for her novels. A SPARK OF LIGHT is about a gunman taking over an abortion clinic. It doesn’t get more serious than that. The book contains a variety of characters who find themselves in a certain place at a certain time, and then examines each one under the magnifying glass of the situation. No one wants to be in this place of violence and terror, not even the gunman.
Picoult presents such a balanced telling of her story that both viewpoints, pro-life and pro-choice, are equally studied. The gunman is there to avenge the fact his daughter had an abortion, but others are there for non-abortion related matters. Especially important to the story is the fact a fifteen year old girl has come with her aunt to the clinic. She is seeking birth control. In a cruel twist of fate the police hostage negotiator is her father.
For some reason Picoult chooses to tell her story in reverse. She starts her story in the late afternoon and works her way backwards. In effect the first chapter in the book should be the last. Picoult does reveal some surprises in her backwards telling but they are not worth the aggravation and confusion her style presents.
As said, Picoult generally writes about serious subjects but her real area of expertise is in writing about love. No author does it better. In this book where people are in jeopardy and think death is coming soon, they reflect on relationships. This is the “spark of light” that illuminates the dark. By letting the reader go inside the minds of the characters we learn how intense love can be in a variety of situations.
Hugh, the negotiator, adores his daughter Wren. When he finds out she is inside the clinic it is like a knife through his heart. He is willing to do anything to save her, even cordially negotiate with the man holding her hostage. George, the gunman, is also a devoted father. His heart is breaking over his daughter’s actions and he wants to have someone to blame for what happened.
It bears repeating how balanced the story is. After aders finish the book they will be hard pressed to know Picoult’s personal view.She is so fair in the telling as we get to know the doctor and nurses at the clinic as well as the women who are there to have their pregnancies terminated. There is a myriad of paths that get them there. Still by having the last chapter first the suspense of who survives and who dies is mostly moot by the second chapter. This dulls the suspense. I wonder when they make the movie version if they will adopt this method or give the plot a more linear telling.
Backwards or forward the book is very much worth reading. Picoult creates knowable characters and believable situations. Plus she can write about love of all kinds without hesitation. The background of every character brought forward in the book is based on love of one type or another, and who doesn’t love a love story.
A SPARK OF LIGHT is published by Random House. It contains 384 pages and sells for $28.99.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
