by Jodi Picoult
Emily Bestler Books/Atria Books, 2013. 460 pages. General Fiction.
Sage Singer, a reclusive local baker, attends a grief group to help her mourn the recent loss of her mother in an accident. It is here that she meets 95 year old Josef Weber, a German teacher and well-loved member of the community who soon confesses his dark past. He believes Sage can grant him the forgiveness he seeks, and she is shocked when he asks her to help him die, causing her to question her beliefs--and to wonder, in the face of the atrocities he admits to committing, if his request would be murder or justice?
Historical fiction leaning books are not generally what I am drawn to, and I’ll admit that I’ve never read one of Picoult’s books (I know, bad librarian), but this one had me hooked. I relished the storytelling in its various forms throughout the book- from Sage’s current moral dilemma, to flashbacks told by her grandmother, and the fictional allegory woven within the world of the book. Both harrowing and heart wrenching, this book twists and twirls and takes the reader on a ride, and in less capable hands, could have been a melancholic or sentimental mess, but was pleasantly surprising and well paced.
I read this book with a book club and it brings up many interesting topics for discussion including WWII, justice, perception, forgiveness, redemption, and more. The library offers this book as a Book Club Set, which you can check out for your own book club as well!
RC
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