Mine's Jodi Picoult

Who's your go-to author?

That one author that you keep going back to, time and time again?
If you don't have one, why don't you give mine a try?

Jodi Picoult.

I was first introduced to Picoult's work by a friend over five years ago, and I've never looked back. Keeping Faith, My Sister's Keeper, Handle With Care, The Pact, The Story Teller - just a few of Picoult's novels that I call to mind as having deeply moved me upon reading.

The success of Picoult's novels comes from her ability to create a beautiful, emotive work of fiction from a provocative, contentious topic. Brittle-bones disease, euthanasia, suicide and - most recently - war crimes - Picoult's characters are faced with extraordinary trials, yet at the same time, are just ordinary people. Each story, in one way or another, tackles these issues from a legal, and also an ethical ,perspective. Always meticulously informed, Picoult asks a question of the reader while, it must be said, still managing to entertain them (even if said entertainment leaves you in tears).

If you are to read any of Picoult's work - I urge you to read The Pact. From my brother to my Dad, my Mum to my Grandma - no one to whom I recommended this book could dispute the greatness of this novel:

The Pact, published in 1998, is a haunting love story. When Emily is found dead with a gunshot wound to the head, in the arms of Chris her best friend and boyfriend, no one knows what to think. What follows is a tormenting tale of family tribulation as Chris and Emily's parents try to come to turns with the notion that their children had made a suicide pact. The families, once so close, are torn apart as Chris finds himself on trial for Emily's murder.

What's so engaging about Picoult's work, and what resonates from The Pact, as it does from the others, is the feeling within the novel.

Picoult's worlds are not far-fetched, fantastical, imaginary worlds. They are real, they are current, they are relatable, or at least, possible. Picoult asks you to think about that.