Sing You Home – Reviewed
Sing You Home is a novel by best selling author of My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult.
The story explores the struggles between the LGBT community, the church, the legal system, and society as a whole.
Having tried IVF unsuccessfully with her husband Max for 10 years, Zoe’s world is shattered when, following the birth of their stillborn son, Max asks for a divorce.
During the dark period that ensues, Zoe forges a strong friendship with school counsellor Vanessa.
Over time their relationship blossoms into something more.
Initially, I was sceptical of the story which could fast become a cliché: Woman desperate for a family devastated by her husband’s abandonment having lost a child, finds emotional stability through the development of a relationship with her lesbian friend.
However, the story felt natural.
Sympathetic to all voices involved (told from three perspectives), the story develops true connections with all its characters.
I was also surprised by the ability of Picoult to get into the heads of her two lesbian characters. While of course the idea and emotions of love are overwhelmingly universal, there are certain thoughts and struggles encountered exclusively by LGBT characters.
I sat back and thought: I’ve felt that way.
Interestingly, I could also understand the standpoint of the religious extremists and felt that if it were not for my personal bias, I would have been genuinely divided between the characters, and able to relate to all the points of view represented.
So much is packed into the plot that it is almost impossible to summarise, and any attempt to do so would make the story sound excessively dramatic, and borderline ridiculous. But the story progresses in such a natural and easy way that every twist, turn and plot point feels right.
I am a huge fan of Picoult, and would recommend her to anyone who enjoys thinking about morality, normality and how these ideas structure and fit within society.
I found Sing You Home to be one of Picoult’s best novels yet, so I can’t recommend it enough.
I just hope they don’t make it into a film and change the ending like they did for My Sister’s Keeper!
Anne Loveday is a film student who is obsessed with questioning what culture teaches and tells us, particularly about the concept of normality.
In short, a film-loving, open-water-swimming, culture-obsessed, music addict.