Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

ISBN:   1439102724

Release date:   March 1, 2011

Grade:   B+

Thank you to the fantastic folks at Atria Books and Simon & Schuster for my ARC of Sing You Home! 

Going into this book I had my expectations set mighty low since the last Picoult book I read was My Sister's Keeper and I thought that was an abomination.  Sing You Home is different, it was quite readable and enjoyable and I didn't throw it across the room after finishing.

Sing You Home is a story about infertility, gay parenting rights and religion.  We meet Zoe Baxter a music therapist and her landscaper husband Max who want more than anything to have a child.  Both Zoe and Max have infertility issues unfortunately all to common like PCOS and have to deal with miscarriage after miscarriage after IVF cycles.  This seemingly endless struggle takes its toll on their marriage as most couples dealing with infertility can attest to both financially and emotionally.  After their last stillbirth Max has reached his breaking point and divorces Zoe who then finds solace in a woman named Vanessa, while Max finds it in booze and later church.  Zoe and Vanessa start off as friends and then Zoe realizes that she cannot live completely without Vanessa and they evolve into a lesbian couple.  When Max, now heavily into religion as a member of a very conservative church, is approached by Zoe to give his permission for her to use their frozen embryos a battle for custody begins and we get to meet some rather unsavory characters.  We get to see the hypocritical side of some religious zealots who cannot point their fingers at other sinners fast enough while sweeping their own sins under the rug. 

Maybe it's because this subject is so near and dear to my heart, or maybe it's something else but this story touched me deeply.  I felt for Zoe and have been there myself wanting something so badly that others get to experience effortlessly.  Her emotions were spot on and in particular her hoping Sirens at the bottom of the sea take her little boy home to sing him home, just melted my heart.  Picoult must have done some excellent research to nail these emotions down as Zoe felt like a fully developed character as did Vanessa and Max.  She showed the ugly side of IVF - the expenses financially and emotionally from having all sorts of hormone injections that insurance almost never covers.  The uber conservative church grated on every nerve as I have some people close to me who happen to be gay and it disgusts me every time I hear some religious loudmouth spouting off hate towards gays.

Most importantly, Picoult got the ending right if not perfect. I will not spoil it for those who have not yet read it, but what the ending does not do is pull any fast punches that leave the reader groaning and wondering why Picoult thought that twist to be necessary.  The ending had me cheering and I closed the book with a smile on my face and a satisfied feeling.  Literary fiction this is not, but Sing You Home is a marvelous effort by Picoult that has me thinking I might read more of her titles.

This book comes with a cd of songs written by Picoult which tie in to each section of the story, or at least the advance edition includes the cd.  This should be a hit with Picoult's army of fans and it would make a good selection for bookclubs.  I highly recommend Sing You Home and cannot wait to hear what the rest of you think of this book.