My Sister's Keeper

Jodi Picoult's books are usually worth a look (The Pact is pretty good) and people have raved and raved to me about My Sister's Keeper.

The premise is pretty interesting. Anna, a thirteen-year-old girl was conceived after doctors told her parents that cord blood might be a useful tool in helping to save their elder daughter Kate who has a very rare form of cancer.

But it doesn't just stop with cord blood. Anna has donated blood, bone marrow and now they are asking for a kidney.

One day, Anna marches into lawyer Campbell Alexander's office, filing suit for medical emancipation. She no longer wants to be a donor to her sister - for whom a kidney transplant is a last (and only a small) chance.

It is an intriguing case - does Anna have the right to make these decisions? Are her parents acting in her best interests? And is Anna ready for the backlash if she is successful - and her sister dies?

The book creates interesting character relationships, particularly between Anna and Kate, who are so similar as to be mistaken for twins. The reader is led to question, why would Anna do this to a sister she loves so much?

Ultimately, just when you think there are no easy answers and you wait with bated breath to see what Picoult will do, she takes what I feel was an "easy way out". The web of ethics, morals and repercussions fades as the narrative twists in not altogether unexpected ways at the end. I am a little disappointed that Picoult didn't feel there was a resolution to the issues at hand - I was kind of looking forward to seeing where they would go.

Not bad overall, but don't expect the ethical debate to go all the way up to the deep end of the pool.