By: Jodi Picoult
I must admit that I found the title of this book to be a bit odd, and that I wound up procrastinating reading this book. However, my fears were for naught, as I don't think that Jodi Picoult ever does a poor job writing a book. This story is told from the point of view of Jane and Oliver Jones and their daughter, Rebecca. Jane is a speech pathologist, and her husband has devoted his life to studying humpback whales. His love (if not extreme obsession) of these sea creatures has been a bone of contention in the Jones' marriage. Finally Jane reaches her breaking point with her husband and takes their daughter and hits the road, which we learn is very unlike her normal character. Meanwhile, Jane's brother, Joley, is cleverly woven into the story. He writes letters from an apple farm in New England, and as Jane heads east, she stops at the next post office he has directed her to, and reads the next letter from him. In the letters we learn about Jane and Joley's childhood, his strong devotion to Jane, and of course, the best route she should take on her road trip. The story is never boring, and the different viewpoints are not confusing. I should also point out that Rebecca has a voice in this story, and we learn of the terrible accident she was in when she was only a toddler. I don't think the reader is really surprised by the ending, but everything that happens to the Jones family along the way is very detailed, very bittersweet and certainly kept this reader turning each page quickly! (Fiction) 07/13/09
