#1. Publisher’s Weekly call My Sister’s Keeper a “a spellbinding suspense novel.” Give your input on why this magazine might call this story suspenseful. Think about the way the book is written from different perspectives and how sections end. Do you want to read more? Are there things that are a mystery in the story? How does Jodi Picoult reveal these secrets as the story moves along? Are there any questions that you want to know at this point in the story?
Publisher’s Weekly might call this book suspenseful because you never know what is going to happen next. For instance, in Jesse’s chapter, Kate is throwing up blood. Sara and Jesse rush Kate to the hospital and the doctor tells them that it is the signs of kidney failure and it might be too late to do surgery. Jesse asks if he could do the surgery since Anna refuses, but he doesn’t ask because he wants to do the surgery, he asked just because he’s curious. This part of the book could be suspenseful because you don’t know what could happen to Kate; could she die or could she miraculously live? I love to read My Sister’s Keeper because it keeps you wondering at the end of each chapter, it never tells you what happens next. Kate is, in a sense, a mystery because we have not read a chapter about her yet, therefore what we know about her is limited. However, every chapter talks about Kate, so we do learn about Kate, as if it were part of her own chapter. As the story moves along, the secrets are revealed throughout each chapter. Since everybody has a chapter, you feel like you are in there shoes and understand the character better every time there chapter comes along.
#2. What is your opinion of Sara? With her life focused on saving Kate, she sometimes neglects her other children. Jesse is rapidly becoming a juvenile delinquent, and Anna is invisible -- a fact that the little girl knows only too well. What does this say about Sara's role as a mother? What would you have done in her shoes? Has she unwittingly forgotten Jesse and Anna, or do you think she has consciously chosen to neglect them -- either as an attempt to save a little energy for herself, or as some kind of punishment? Does Sara resent her other children for being healthy? Did you find yourself criticizing Sara, empathizing with her, or both?
In my own opinion, Sara is a very good mother, but has trouble giving attention to all three of her children. Kate is always on her mind and always worries about her, which is understandable, but I think she needs to pay Kate more attention, before she ends up like Jesse. Sara should feel a little more obligated to pay more attention to Kate and Jesse, but Kate’ s life isn’t very normal, so she has to pay attention to Kate all the time. It is understandable that she has all eyes on Kate 24/7, but she should include Anna more often. If I was in Sara’s shoes, I would try my best to give each one attention and one on one time as much as possible. If my daughter had a disease, of course I would be worried about her, but I would make all my children my number one priority. I think Sara is oblivious to the fact the Anna and Jesse are invisible. She doesn’t even notice when Anna leaves the dinner table. I feel like Brian has a little more handle on his kids than Sara because she seems like she stresses over things a little too much. Sara absolutely does not resent her other children for being healthy because if all her children were unhealthy than her life would be 20x more stressful than it is now and she would not know how to cope with three children being ill at the same time. I find myself on both sides of the fence for Sara; she has had a very stressful life for 14 years and at the same time I find myself criticizing her because of her oblivion to her two other children.
In my own opinion, Sara is a very good mother, but has trouble giving attention to all three of her children. Kate is always on her mind and always worries about her, which is understandable, but I think she needs to pay Kate more attention, before she ends up like Jesse. Sara should feel a little more obligated to pay more attention to Kate and Jesse, but Kate’ s life isn’t very normal, so she has to pay attention to Kate all the time. It is understandable that she has all eyes on Kate 24/7, but she should include Anna more often. If I was in Sara’s shoes, I would try my best to give each one attention and one on one time as much as possible. If my daughter had a disease, of course I would be worried about her, but I would make all my children my number one priority. I think Sara is oblivious to the fact the Anna and Jesse are invisible. She doesn’t even notice when Anna leaves the dinner table. I feel like Brian has a little more handle on his kids than Sara because she seems like she stresses over things a little too much. Sara absolutely does not resent her other children for being healthy because if all her children were unhealthy than her life would be 20x more stressful than it is now and she would not know how to cope with three children being ill at the same time. I find myself on both sides of the fence for Sara; she has had a very stressful life for 14 years and at the same time I find myself criticizing her because of her oblivion to her two other children.
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