Monday, March 16, 2009 10:18 PM CDT
BOOK REVIEW: 'Handle with Care', By Jodi Picoult
Review by Juanita Sherwood
Jodi Picoult’s new book is one that tugs at the heart strings. It raises several issues, foremost being the birth defect called osteogenesis imperfecta.
The best way to describe this illness is that the human skeleton has not developed correctly before birth, which leaves the afflicted person with one of several degrees of imperfection that must be dealt with throughout his/her life.
The main character in the book, Willow O’Keefe, has the third degree or middle degree, making her suffer from many bone breaks and small stature. In Willow’s case, she is the size of a toddler, approximately 3 feet tall, when she is 6 years old. By this time in her life, she has suffered from many broken bones, having several when she was born and acquiring a few more while still in the hospital after her birth.
She is a very bright child, reading at a sixth-grade level when she is but 6 years old. She can be quite charming, but life for her parents and older sibling is one of constant guarding against something that might potentially harm her.
The family lives in New Hampshire, where her father is a police officer, her mother a pastry chef who has had to abandon her career to monitor and advocate for Willow full time, and her older sister a student in junior high. Insurance covers much of Willow’s medical needs, but the co-pays and things not covered have drained the family financially, and the constant worry drains them emotionally.
Adding to the situation is the fact that Willow’s mother’s best friend, Piper, is the obstetrician who had agreed to handle Charlotte, Willow’s mother’s, obstetric needs. Piper had been concerned that Charlotte’s baby might be susceptible to Down syndrome. Charlotte was 38 when she was pregnant with Willow, and mothers over 35 carry a higher risk of children with impairments.
Early tests show no trace of Downs, but a second test, a sonogram, shows some abnormalities in skeletal development. After some additional tests, discussions and consultations, it is discovered that the fetus suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta. Charlotte is into her seventh month of her pregnancy by this point.
The book is written as a series of chapters directed to Willow as an explanation to her of why certain behaviors were exhibited by the person speaking, although occasionally explanations are directed to the reader instead. This sounds a bit confusing, but it is actually a clever way to impart the story and have it not be ordinary in an extraordinary situation.
Complicating matters further is the fact that the older sister, Amelia, has been suffering from some issues of her own: bulimia and cutting. She begins with the bulimia and practices it for quite some time before it and cutting, a more recent behavior, are discovered by her family.
Charlotte is dismayed that the family cannot provide all that Willow needs financially and decides to sue Piper for wrongful birth. Charlotte would not have aborted the fetus had she known that it had the OI, but she is desperate for extra funds.
After having Willow and getting to know her, she would not have wanted never to have had her, but she feels this is one way to provide for her daughter.
Another issue adding to the mix is a personal issue of Marin, Charlotte’s lawyer in the lawsuit. Marin was adopted and wanted to learn about her birth parents. What she finds and how she finds it is totally unexpected.
Willow’s issues, softened by the last two to three pages, continue until the end. Be prepared for an intense read.
Sherwood of Charleston is a retired reading teacher.
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