Handle with Care

Starred review from December 15, 2008
Perennial bestseller Picoult (Change of Heart
) delivers another engrossing family drama, spiced with her trademark blend of medicine, law and love. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe's daughter, Willow, was born with brittle bone disease, a condition that requires Charlotte to act as full-time caregiver and has strained their emotional and financial limits. Willow's teenaged half-sister, Amelia, suffers as well, overshadowed by Willow's needs and lost in her own adolescent turmoil. When Charlotte decides to sue for wrongful birth in order to obtain a settlement to ensure Willow's future, the already strained family begins to implode. Not only is the defendant Charlotte's longtime friend, but the case requires Charlotte and Sean to claim that had they known of Willow's condition, they would have terminated the pregnancy, a statement that strikes at the core of their faith and family. Picoult individualizes the alternating voices of the narrators more believably than she has previously, and weaves in subplots to underscore the themes of hope, regret, identity and family, leading up to her signature closing twists.

Fans of Jodi Picoult will embrace this latest addition to her collection of timely topical novels. HANDLE WITH CARE is the story of a family living with its youngest child's rare medical condition, which causes her bones to break from the slightest impact. As the story is told from the perspectives of the major players in the drama, this audio performance is easy to listen to, thanks to the varied voices provided by the full cast for each narrator. The technical details that emerge in Picoult's careful exploration of the medical sciences are tempered by the emotional development of the characters and the suspense created by various conflicts. This unusual story told by a familiar storyteller makes for enjoyable listening. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine