Sunday, March 25, 2012

Lone Wolf - Jodi Picoult

Lone Wolf - Jodi Picoult (2012)

I was looking at a few reviews of Jodi Picoults books on Goodreads, and was surprised at the backlash of lots of people who haven't enjoyed her books.  I understand they're not for everybody, but I was suprised at the amount of venom injected in some reviews.

I must admit to loving The Pact and The Plain Truth, but then she kind of fell out of flavour with me.  I do like the family part of the story, but the lawyer/court part sort of drags on and I could do without it, as the stronger part of the story is always about the main characters reacting with each other.

In Lone Wolf,  a father and daughter are involved in a road traffic accidents that results in the father Luke Warren with a head injury and in an extended coma.  Cara Warren, is 17 and looked after her father for six years, but has been injured herself in the accident, resulting in surgery and pain relief.  Hearing of the accident,  her estranged brother, Edward returns from where he is teaching in Thailand to help look after the family.    After doctors describe the poor prognosis for their father,  they find it difficult to agree on how they precede with their care.

In the back of the story, we hear about the lives of wolves as Luke Warren has spent the past few decades living in the wild with a wolf family and looking after a pack in captive care.  He learns their ways and becomes accepted by the wolves, but is away from his own family much of the time, and is not sure anymore where he fits.  I liked this storyline, and did wonder why the family did not refer to it more often.  If your father was a man who lived outside, loved the wild - he would hate to be trapped in a hospital bed - he would want to be free.

I liked the story, but I like hospital tales and feel like this is a discussion more families should have.  Should talk about what they would want to happen to them, what they would want their family to do in similar circumstances.  4/5

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