This Jodi Picoult novel was good. That’s the only word I can use to describe this novel. It wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t boring either. The best way to put it is it was somewhere in the middle. Although I tend to love Jodi Picoult’s writing style and topics she chooses, there was a missing spark in this novel. I still enjoyed it for the most part though.
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Overview:
Alex Rivers, a famous celebrity superstar of an actor, is married to Cassie Barrett, a renowned anthropologist. They were the couple who seemed to have it all. But Cassie gets amnesia, unsure of who she is, where she is, or who to consider family. Their relationship gives away a rough bumpy road as she struggles through trying to remember the past she has forgotten. The question to ask yourself while reading this novel, “What will happen next?”
Reviews:
Out of all the Jodi Picoult books, the reviews given for this novel are by far the worst I’ve ever seen. I would say that my rating is being generous compared to some of the others. You can read all the ratings on GoodReads, but here are a few I can list for you:
- I have to say Jodi Picoult is not my thing. After I read this book I feel like I am having amnesia just like the main character. Do not remember much of what is going on with this book.
- I typically love Jodi Picoult novels but this one was a huge let down. She typically focuses on relevant topics and is able to capture the details of everyday life along with the real emotions her characters are dealing with; but Picture Perfect was nothing but a bad romance novel. Her portrayal of the wife battering is shallow and unrealistic. The little that she touches on Native American issues is interesting, but again, there’s no real substance to anything in this novel.
- This was, by far, the WORST book I ever read.
- Alas, I always tout Picoult as an authur of “good reads” but this one is BADD….It can be compared to the paperback grocery store “bodice-busters”. The story idea is OK, but the writing is? ? ? Where was the editor? The only good part was when the Native Americans were in the read. Don’t go for this one.
- I was initially intrigued by this story: amnesia, a suspicious situation involving a movie star, a hot cop… but what I was left with was a main character who defined herself by the men in her life.
- I had so many problems with this book. It really upset me that that Jodi Piccoult took the very intense subject matter of domestic violence and set it up through such an unrealistic premise
Domestic Violence:
Domestic Violence is a serious problem in the United States. It is a problem that grew much larger during quarantine with people in abusive relationships forced to stay inside with no means of escape. The fact sheet below is provided by Statistics at NCADV where you can find a breakdown of each state and every form of domestic violence across the globe.
Domestic Violence is usually a topic that remains hidden due to fear instilled in the victim. Some people are blinded by love and passion while others claw to escape and some become numb to the abuse. Domestic Violence can also take shape in three forms: Mental, Physical, and Emotional.
Mental abuse is usually playing mind games with the victim and practically training them to view themselves as lesser then. Through mental abuse they can gain a whole other level of control, which is what most abusers desire.
Through emotional abuse, the abuser uses your emotions against you to feel weak and believe that in order for you to survive, you need to keep them around. This could also include verbal abuse and being able to manipulate your emotions about certain topics as well.
Finally physical abuse is pretty straightforward. It tends to be exactly what you think, punches, kicks, burning, guns can even be involved, and any other form of physical violence against the victims body.
Domestic Violence is another topic that is pushed pretty far under the rug, but we need the survivors and the victims still struggling to know that we are all there for them.
Final Thoughts:
Like I have mentioned before, Jodi Picoult usually touches on some pretty sensitive topics in her writing. She barely touches on the problem of pushing Native Americans out of their land, but it seemed clunky and weirdly placed within this story. She also didn’t do a spectacular job of making a strong woman character for this role. However, the reason why this book received its rating was because some of the portrayal was rather accurate. For the most part it was subpar, but I don’t think I could bring myself to lower the rating anymore.
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