House Rules

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult addresses the issue of a young man named Jacob, who has Asperger's and is accused of a crime. This story is told through the eyes of five different narrators. Emma-Jacob's mother who is raising Jacob and Theo alone, Theo-his brother, Rich-the detective involved in the case, Oliver-Jacob's attorney, and Jacob himself. It really gives insight as to how both Aspergers and the crime affected each person. I was a bit worried when I saw there were 5 narrators but the story flowed very well between each narrator and was very easy to follow. It made the story even more interesting to me to have five different viewpoints of what was happening. I felt as though Emma and Theo were just as much prisoners as Jacob. They were trapped in this world of making Jacob's life as easy for him as possible from keeping a strict schedule to eating foods of a certain color on specific days. However, as a mother I could imagine doing the same for one of my own children if put in the same situation. I could feel their frustrations in dealing with Jacob and making him understand the process in which he was about to go through. Jacob has a love for solving crimes and forensics ironically but he is not able to grasp what being accused of a crime means for him. Jodi had me questioning whether it is right to prosecute someone who has Aspergers of a crime such as murder. Will the defendant know what he is being accused of and have an understanding of right and wrong? Many questions do arise during this book that are interesting for discussion. I think it would be a great book for book clubs. Jodi Picoult's novels are always powerful and seem to address controversial issues. This one does not disappoint. This was a page turner for me. It kept me guessing until the very end.

I checked this book out from the public library.