A Spark of Light - Jodi Picoult

A Spark of Light

By Jodi Picoult

  • Release Date: 2018-10-02
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 1,636 Ratings

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of Small Great Things returns with a powerful and provocative new novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis.

“Picoult at her fearless best . . . Timely, balanced and certain to inspire debate.”—The Washington Post

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester, disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.

One of the most fearless writers of our time, Jodi Picoult tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding.

Praise for A Spark of Light

“This is Jodi Picoult at her best: tackling an emotional hot-button issue and putting a human face on it.”People
 
“Told backward and hour by hour, Jodi Picoult’s compelling narrative deftly explores controversial social issues.”Us Weekly

Reviews

  • Spark of Light

    4
    By Silverparrot
    It was thought provoking for both sides. It did not change my mind in any way, but I thought about my position again. That’s always good.
  • You never know what someone else is carrying

    4
    By KellyAnn9
    I loved how this story was never black and white. There were so many things that each character carried within them. It made you think and raised so many perspectives regardless of the beliefs that readers themselves may have. I applaud the attempt at the backward timeline, but like other reviewers I found it hard to follow, simply because there were too many characters. I want to go back and reread the first chapter just to jog my memory on what ultimately happened to a few of them. Glad I read this, but not my favorite JP novel.
  • I still love JP, even though I didn’t like this book...

    3
    By BabsReads
    It jumped all around and had an abrupt, anticlimactic ending. JP does do a good job of sharing the different perspectives on a very controversial topic. I typically really enjoy JP’s books and I consider her an author I can trust to provide a good read, but I didn’t like this one very much.
  • A spark Of Light

    2
    By Diddly dog
    I liked the story, but it flip-flopped back and forth so much I was getting ill. I actually quit before the end.
  • Great book

    4
    By kissdaddy
    I like the fact that it is told in reverse order. There are still mysteries to solved and questions to be answered as the book progresses. As for the subject matter (abortion) the lesson I take away is that no matter how different one’s view, we share much more important common human experiences.
  • Difficult subject to cover

    3
    By Oregonjay
    Abortion is always a hot button topic and I feel the author handled it very well. However, I hated the backward timeline! It was confusing and annoying. When you reached one of the “hours” it told you something you already knew from the beginning only in more detail. Not my favorite of her books.
  • Disappointed

    1
    By Gina0501
    Plot line was promising but seems like little effort was put into developing the story further, or at least to the point that the “twist” wasn’t completely obvious from the beginning. The reverse order in telling the story wasn’t edgy; it was a weak effort to cover up the poorly developed story and complete lack of closure.
  • Predictable dialogue

    2
    By SarahTreth
    There was so much potential with the story line of this novel, but the writing got in the way.
  • Disappointed

    2
    By JennyA2
    I normally love Jodi Picoult’s books. I have to say this is my least favorite. It took forever to get to the point. Characters were all over the place and I felt like the ending was rushed and the characters were left unanswered. I understand the subject of abortion is a tough one and trying to understand both sides was important. But honestly the story dragged and it left me hanging.
  • 1 Star

    1
    By Tobi2011000
    Very confusing writing - hard to follow through the multiple characters. Most likely the last book I’ll ever read by this author.