Change of Heart
Jodi Picoult
Astria Publishing
Reprint
ISBN-13 : 978-1416565604
*** SYNOPSIS ***
One moment June Nealon is happily looking forward to years of love and laughter with her family. The next, she is facing a future as empty as her heart as she waits for a miracle.
For Shay Bourne, life has no more surprises, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, his life is changed by one last chance for redemption through June’s young daughter, Claire. But between June and Shay lies an ocean of bitter regrets and a mother’s rage.
Would you give up revenge against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy’s dying wish?
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*** REVIEW ***
This is an older novel of Picoult’s, originally published in March, 2008, by Atria Books. It’s the sixteenth book by her, and this one deals with themes of faith and capital punishment through the story of a Shay Bourne, a death row inmate who wants to donate his heart to a victim’s sister. June Nealon’s daughter, Elizabeth and her husband Kurt are the two people Shay was convicted of killing. Now June’s second daughter, Claire, is in need of a new heart.
Because of my long-time interest in the moral issue of capital punishment, it was interesting to see how the various characters struggled with that, too. There are no easy answers, no black and white, and Picoult handles that all with care and honesty, letting the characters grapple with the “rightness” of it the way many of us do.
There’s a second plot thread of Shay seeming to perform miracles, making many people come to believe he’s a Messiah, and that was also handled well, delving into various religious beliefs, Catholic, Jewish, and Gnostic, again with no pat answers.
The story is presented in alternating points of view, Shay, Maggie, Father Michael who is Shay’s spiritual advisor, another inmate and June, the mother of Claire the girl in need of a heart. That allows the reader to see the death penalty and religious beliefs in many different lights, supporting the idea that there are no easy answers to any of the issues brought up in the story.
I particularly liked that Picoult leaves it up to the reader to think about the issues, consider their own religious beliefs, as well as open up to beliefs of others. To respect all sides of it.
This is how June grapples with making the decision to accept the heart:
“Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love?
Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy’s dying wish?”
I’ve read a number of books by Picoult and enjoyed them all. One of her strengths as a story teller is creating well defined, intriguing characters, and this book is no exception. Even the rest of the men on death row have unique characteristics that make them human, more than just a criminal. It was nice that they were not just a stereotype of a murderer.
Maggie and Father Michael were stand-out characters for me. Not that Shay or June take a back seat, but the other two have more of a character arc when it comes to them dealing with personal and professional challenges. Maggie struggles with her body image, she’s overweight and has a awkward relationship with her mother who appears judgmental and overbearing. Father Michael served on the jury that convicted Shay and sent him to death row, and he, Father Michael, has struggled with his conscience over his role in Shay’s impending death.
How the two of them work through those challenges ties nicely into the main plot line of Shay’s story, and the resolution of Maggie and Michael’s problems is believable and satisfactory.
So is the final resolution of Shay’s story, and hang on to your hat for the last sentence of the book.
*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR ***
Jodi Lynn Picoult is an American author known for her novels that explore complex social issues through intricate narratives and multiple perspectives. Her work spans genres including legal thrillers, romances, ghost stories, and literary fiction. Picoult has published 28 novels and short stories, as well as the libretto for a number of musicals.
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That’s all from me for today folks. I hope you have a relaxing weekend, and whatever you do, be safe. Be happy.