Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Adult
Format: Book - Library
From Goodreads: Edward Warren, twenty-four, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.
With her father’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?
Lone Wolf explores the notion of family, and the love, protection and strength it’s meant to offer. But what if the hope that should sustain it, is the very thing that pulls it apart?
What I thought: Jodi Picoult is one of those authors I can't seem to stop reading, even though in recent years I have not been highly impressed with her books. (Look out for tomorrow's post about some issues I have with her mother characters) I have got to the point where I no longer buy her books, but I still borrow them from the library and when I heard there was a new one out, I put it on my request list immediately. What she is good for is making you think about unusual situations and a read that is quick and moves along at a good pace. Now that I approach them this way, I'm not as disappointed as I have been in recent years.
The premise of Lone Wolf is two children - one an adult, the other very close - who need to decide the fate of their father after a car accident leaves him comatosed. Both have different reasons to feel guilt, both have different views on what should happen. Add into this feelings of abandonment, a new family for their mother and secrets that have been held for too long and you have a story that keeps you guessing about everyone's motives. The story is told from multiple view points, including Luke's - the man comatosed. His chapters explain his connection to the wolves and his life researching them. I thought a lot of his interactions with wolves seemed far fetched, but then I looked into one her main sources of information Shaun Ellis, a man who has made his life study wolves and living with them.
In the end, I enjoyed the book, but I now approach Picoult books with lower expectations than I use to. Now I view them as good, easy reads that raise issues a lot of other books in this category don't. I would recommend it if you are a Picoult fan - it won't disappoint.