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Mercy by Jodi Picoult
Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest
2007
What would you do if the
person you loved had low
quality of life and little
prospect of improvement or
even survival? Even if you
are adamant you know the
answer, Picoult will make
you consider your choices.
As always, Picoult's book
covers a number of
characters and sub-stories
along with the main story of
the book. In this case, the
main theme would appear to
be about mercy killings (or
euthanasia) but the book is
really more about
relationships and the
imbalance within
relationships.
The central figure is a clan
leader and police chief so
there is an expectation that
he is the all round good
guy, yet not all of his
actions are admirable. He is
a complex man, privately
helping his cousin but
apparently completely
against Jamie's behaviours.
Personally, I found this to
be disappointingly not up to
Picoult's usual standard -
which just makes it a good
read rather than a great
one.
Tash Hughes is a Mum of two in Melbourne. She is also a writer and owner of Word
Constructions. Tash is available to write articles and profiles for any
business, as well as doing other business documentation projects. You can see
her site and services at
www.wordconstructions.com
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