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On my way home from work this evening I finished listening to House Rules by Jodi Picoult on audio. As with all of Jodi Picoult's books that I have read, this novel deals with an ethical issue. It is about a young man named Jacob with Aspergers Syndrome who is on trial for murder. I really liked how the book makes the reader understands what life is like for Jacob. One of the reviews I read before selecting the book was written by a child psychologist who wrote that Aspergers is well represented in the novel. It becomes obvious fairly early in the story what took place surrounding the death of Jacob's tutor because the various characters in the story take turns narrating their perspective. What I found frustrating was none of the adults in Jacob's life took the time to talk to him and find out what happened. I also had little patience for the mom in the story. Her name is Emma. The total devotion she acts like she has toward Jacob and working with his problems has cost her marriage and caused her to neglect herself and her other son's needs. For all the effort she has put into her "project" of managing Jacob's issues she doesn't really connect with him. Rather than communicating with him she betrays him to the authorities before even confronting him with her fears. The police in the book are not doing a very good job and Jacob's attorney is very inept. For all the frustrations I found in the story line this book is really wonderful for the message it shares to the world about Aspergers Syndrome. Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links to more information. And enjoy the video that follows.
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