Themes & Content Warning:
Women's rights, faith, abortion, gun violence, hostage situation.
Synopsis:
It's a normal working day at the 'The Centre' - a women's reproductive and health clinic - in Mississippi. Outside, there are protestors surrounding the entrance, expressing their disagreement with the clinic and the services it offers. To them it is equivalent to murder.
Inside, staff are caring for patients and visitors offering them hope and a chance to choose.
Suddenly, a distraught middle-aged man bursts through the front doors pointedly shooting and taking everyone into hostage.
Truth and secrets are revealed, but what will the future hold?
Review:
This book had me gripped from the first page. The story is told in reverse chronological order starting off in the late afternoon of the present day, hour by hour it works its way backwards unfolding how each character ended up in the hostage situation. I thought this was an interesting approach and worked really well, still managing to hold suspense in each page. Even though the major event is obvious there is a lot to learn in each individual backstory of the characters. But, as I powered through the first 150 pages or so, it started to become a little repetitive and slow.
There are multiple characters in this book and each perspective is clearly drawn. Some characters are more central then others such as George (the shooter), Hugh (officer/negotiator), Wren (Hugh's daughter), Bex (Wren's aunt) and Beth (George's daughter) but every character has a valid story. There is wide character diversity in terms of race, wealth and sexuality which was great to read. The characters themselves are written and described extremely well making their beliefs, emotions and choices easy to empathise and understand (including George!)
I really enjoyed reading the backstories of each character, they were complex, interesting and unique. Reading individual perspectives made for better connection with the characters. The twists and turns in relationships between characters was also a good unexpected touch. I would have preferred a character list at the start of the book as there were times I mixed up characters or forgot who was who because of how many names there were!
I felt like the majority of this book was a debate of arguments for and against abortion, set up between characters with a clash of viewpoints. The story contains a lot of factual information which brings solidarity to the issues explored. However, at times I felt like this took away from the plot and really slowed it down. As an afterthought, I think this was the actual purpose of the book - to open up the conversation and make you think about your own beliefs (which I certainly did). Although both sides are explored, it's worth noting this book is very much pro-choice - so you can decide if it's something you want to read according to your beliefs.
The story contains vivid descriptions of the abortion procedure throughout, including some very graphic, extreme and horrific cases. There is no easy way to write about it and I admire Jodi Picoult for once again, addressing a controversial issue (and in some places illegal) with such rawness and authenticity. I think the tension and urgency in the book is really well-woven which ultimately kept me reading. It did have me edge, even through the longer chapters.
This is a very sensitive, though-provoking book. I don't think violence can ever be justified but I do believe there's a root cause to such behaviour, now where it stems from is a whole other agenda. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend you give it a go if you wish to increase your understanding of abortion and the issues around it in today's era or if you just fancy reading a controversial suspense!
Rating:
4/5
Favourite Quotes:
'We are all drowning slowly in the tide of our opinions, oblivious that we are taking on water every time we open our mouths.'
'You don't look at another person's plate to see if they have more then you. You look to see if they have enough.'
'This is what it means to be human. We are all just canvases for our scars.'
'Sometimes you can't tell how consuming love is until you can see its absence.'
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