You are the reason why your sister is alive and she is the reason you have the chance to breathe. Your sister is the reason why you are clawing your family apart as you regret and accept your actions simultaneously. Eye wiping scenes conflict with complicated mazes of ideas from Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, and protagonist Andromeda Fitzgerald is trapped in the middle of them. This heart sputtering book will have you sobbing uncontrollably as you discover the beautifully crafted characters and plot twists within.





Thirteen-year-old Andromeda (Anna) has been donating her blood cells out of her parents’ desperation for the sake of her sister’s – Kate’s – well-being. Anna’s decision to claim the rights to her body pulls forward a quick paced, tear jerking plot that reveals a jigsaw puzzle of new characters and storylines that create a complex work of art.





The essence of this book revolves around the flawless writing style of Jodi Picoult. The reader is not limited to one person’s point of view, but all of the characters’ unique perspectives. For example, in one part of the book, Anna’s mother is worrying over the state of her daughter’s health and does not believe anything is wrong with how she is acting. However, through her husband’s eyes, he thinks the opposite and their disagreement leads to events that happen later in the novel that knots everything in place. This technique makes the book strong as it conveys lessons of consequence, love, and trust. Each collision of emotions fills you to the brim.


Picoult does a spectacular job making her characters realistic by loading them with distinctive traits without making them lose their individuality. For example, Anna is your average thirteen-year-old who loves and hates her sister, but she also bares a mature edge. She puts others in front of herself and does her best to help the people she cares for. This action causes her consequences that she shoulders, that cause her to sometimes slip under the weight but fighting to get back up again. Picoult’s easy to digest, yet powerful words make this evident.

The character who is portrayed as firm, handsome, and secret wielding is Campbell Alexander – Andromeda’s lawyer. Alexander attempts to reveal as little of his past to anyone he gets close to, but the reader finds tiny window cracks into his life. Picoult never reveals too much about this lawyer, but enough to keep the fish swimming for more. For example, Campbell owns a service dog, but the reason is unknown. To escape having to explain, he resorts to sarcastic excuses such as: “I have an iron lung…the dog keeps me away from magnets.” The beauty of how Jodi Picoult is able to perceive a realistic and fantastic character of the opposite gender is breathtakingly natural, which allows the reader to smoothly immerse themselves in the chapters.

This beautifully spun novel is widely acclaimed and well-loved by those with siblings, those with illnesses, and those who sit down for a heart-warming read in the afternoon. My Sister’s Keeper was not only a New York Times bestseller, but also rated the best book of the year in 2005 by bookbrowse.com. This book will have your pillow at your tears’ mercy, while you flip each page in anticipation.