Review: Harvesting the Heart

Author: Jodi Picoult

Title: Harvesting the Heart

Description: At heart, this is a book about a marriage. We see Nick and Paige from the moment they meet through their dating and birth of their son Max. Paige’s mother left her and disappeared when Paige was five, and Paige later had an abortion, so when she faces motherhood herself, she lacks a role model and she is filled with guilt about her earlier child. Nicholas is a promising young cardiac surgeon who is pretty sure that his job is much more difficult than Paige’s.  

Review source: Still reading the Penguins.

Plot: The plot is centered on relationships: marriage, parents, and children. In other words, it’s character-driven.

Characters: Almost all of the characters in the book are sympathetic without coming across as artificially perfect. Paige’s mother, though, was a difficult character to buy. The depth of selfishness that would cause a mother to leave a five year old child is impossible for me to imagine.

Writing style: This is the first Picoult book for me; I know she has lots of fans. For me, the style was pretty overwrought. I guess the story of a normal marriage wouldn’t be much of a story. (Of course, I could argue that the best authors can make the story of a normal marriage tell a fascinating story.)

Audience: It’s women’s lit.

Wrap-up: I enjoyed this book and was rooting for Nick and Paige to overcome their problems. But I don’t think I’m emotionally strong enough to read more of Jodi Picoult’s books. 3/5*