Book Review: "My Sister's Keeper"

I am an avid reader. Even since I was a really little kid, I have always loved escaping into another world and getting wrapped up in the supsense, romance or comedy of it all. I used to beg my parents to read my just one more story before bed, even though I knew them all backwards. Now most of my books are just school-assigned novels, but I try to make time to read some stories "just for fun". I especially love biographies (Richard Branson's autobiography was fabulous- read it!) but I recently read a fantastic book written by an amazing American author, Jodie Picoult.

My Sister's Keeper tells the tale of Anna, a young girl whose sole purpose for existence is to donate her perfect-match blood, bone marrow, a kidney -any and every part of herself- to her older cancer-stricken sister, Kate. We follow Anna's journey as she makes the difficult decision to sue her own parents for medical emancipation. The story is told from a variety of angles- Anna, each of her parents, her brother Jesse, her lawyer Campbell and her guardian ad litem, Julia.

The emotions of the book are so powerful. As readers, we are allowed into the many different lives of the characters, the secrets they keep from one another and the ones they choose to reveal. We are kept in suspense throughout the entire novel as to whether Anna will go ahead with the court proceedings and effectively leave her sister to die, or give up her own rights and keep herself and her sister living their half-life.

Please, promise me you will read this book! It is life-changing, and the ending is spectacular. This is my favourite Jodie Picoult novel, but I also love these other titles from the same writer: The Pact, Picture Perfect and Keeping Faith.

P.S. The reason I have so much energy to write all this at midnight is that I have just devoured a pack of Starburst lollies with my friends! Wooo sugar high!

P.P.S I will give more book, magazine and movie reviews in the coming weeks.