No Easy Answers

The Tenth Circle
By: Jodi Picoult

I picked this book up sort of at random. I glanced over the back of a few of her books, and chose this one because it intrigued me. And saying that I enjoyed the book would be an odd phrasing, because it was truly painful at times. Captivated though, perhaps that's the correct word. Yes, I was captivated.

I do wonder, when I read these horrible stories about teens today, how much have times changed since I was younger? I spent most of my nights home with my computer, but I never heard stories that compare to the things I hear about now. Those stories both fascinate and terrify me. In fact, in some ways, that might be one of my dissapointments of the book.

Yet the truth is that teenagers today isn't the core of this book, but rather family dynamics and how a tragedy can change everything. Jodi Picoult is known for writing about complicated issues, and this book is no exception. In The Tenth Circle the issue is sexual violence. And I must admit, that once again I was reading one of her books feeling empathy for characters I'd never expect to feel empathy for.

And let's face it, I'm a sucker for a book with good parent/child relationships.