Book Review: The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Title: The Tenth Circle
Author: Jodi Picoult
Publication Date: October 2006
Page Count: 386
Genre: Fiction

From goodreads.com

Bestselling author Jodi Picoult's The Tenth Circle is a metaphorical journey through Dante's Inferno, told through the eyes of a small Maine family whose hidden demons haunt every aspect of their seemingly peaceful existence. Woven throughout the novel are a series of dramatic illustrations that pay homage to the family's patriarch (comic book artist Daniel Stone), and add a unique twist to this gripping, yet somewhat rhetorical tale. 

Trixie Stone is an imaginative, perceptive 14 year old whose life begins to unravel when Jason Underhill, Bethel High's star hockey player, breaks up with her, leaving a void that can only be filled by the blood spilled during shameful self-mutilations in the girls' bathroom. While Trixie's dad Daniel notices his daughter's recent change in demeanor, he turns a blind eye, just as he does to the obvious affair his wife Laura, a college professor, is barely trying to conceal. When Trixie gets raped at a friend's party, Daniel and Laura are forced to deal not only with the consequences of their daughter's physical and emotional trauma, but with their own transgressions as well. For Daniel, that means reflecting on a childhood spent as the only white kid in a native Alaskan village, where isolation and loneliness turned him into a recluse, only to be born again after falling in love with his wife. Laura, who blames her family's unraveling on her selfish affair, must decide how to reconcile her personal desires with her loved ones' needs. 

The Tenth Circle is chock full of symbolism and allegory that at times can seem oppresive. Still, Picoult's fans will welcome this skillfully told story of betrayal and its many negative, and positive consequences.

My Review

My first finished book of 2011.  My first book by author Jodi Picoult. I wasn't terribly impressed with this book. It makes me curious to know why she is such an acclaimed author. If her other books are similar to this, I don't think I would be able to handle it over and over again. 

This book was 386 pages of way too much storyline.  She put way too many implausible plot twists throughout the pages, some of which felt like they were added simply for the shock and awe factor. The book centers around a family, the Stones, Daniel, Laura and their daughter Trixie. Trixie's character gets raped (or does she? it never really is clear?) She attempts suicide. She cuts herself. Laura (the mom) is having an affair with one of her grad students, who turns out to be the one who sells drugs to high school students (which is barely referred to, you really have to be paying attention). The dad, Daniel, is from an Eskimo village in Alaska, and has dealt with a pretty horrific tragedy that he ran away from. There is a story line of murder, of Eskimo culture, of comic book writing, of Dante's Inferno, and that just scratches the surface. 

Because there were all of these different aspects of the book, none were well-developed. If I had been Picoult, I would have probably made this into a series of books which could have really helped flesh out some of the story lines and given me more to hold onto (and probably made her more money, heh) The way she wrote this book, it made the end abrupt and uninspired. There were several lose ends that were tied so quickly (or not at all) that I was left with a bad taste. 

I may or may not attempt another Jodi Picoult book (I don't have any on my shelf at this moment), but I do know that I will most likely read reviews before I choose one. I also have heard that this book was made into a lifetime movie.... figures. :)

Overall rating: 6/10

Next Review: With or Without You by Carole Matthews

Book Review: I Love You Like A Tomato by Marie Giordano

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Title: I Love You Like a Tomato
Author: Marie Giordano
Publication Date: July 2003
Page Count: 382
Genre: Fiction


From goodreads.com
ChiChi Maggiordino will do anything to get God's attention. She will hold her breath, stand on tiptoe for an hour, walk a mile backward, climb all stairs on her knees.... anything. When her grandmother teaches her how to use the Evil Eye, telling her it's how Jesus Christ made his miracles and how the Italians got rid of Mussolini, ChiChi realizes it's what her prayers have been missing. Now she can get started on the business of making her mother happier by helping her find love, and healing her brother's weak lungs. But ChiChi's family lives in Minneapolis, and it's the 1950s. For an Italian immigrant family, sometimes it seems like nothing can make life easier. ChiChi's mother still pines for her husband, a long-dead American soldier; ChiChi's brother is disdainful of her sacrifices and penance--he doesn't understand what his older sister already knows, that sometimes God needs to be bribed. When her grandmother passes away, ChiChi steps up her search for meaning and happiness, but it seems to be fruitless. And she struggles, the way so many women do, because her love for her family is suffocating, even while it fulfills her. It's not until she meets two Italian dwarves, and they teach her of the ancient clown tradition, the commedia dell'arte, that she comes to understand that in order to make everyone else happy, she herself must be happy. But first she must find her own way in the world.... and learn to accept that not even the power of the Evil Eye can keep people from changing.

I should start by saying that this book took me entirely too long to finish.  I was working on another project that took my attention away from reading, which is really too bad, but there are only so many hours in the day...

This book was disjointed anyway, and it probably wasn't the best one for me to start and stop. I was confused by the characters and their actions in certain situations... The narrator (ChiChi) was incredibly unreliable, and it required me to read between the lines quite a bit.  Because the story started out with her so young, I was left with her point of view and her understanding of the happenings around her.  Her mom was not always great woman, but in the eye's of a very young daughter, we weren't presented with that outright. We had to connect the dots to realize that her mom may not have been as upstanding as ChiChi thought. This is a difficult way to read a book and it is the hardest part of books written in first person.

While I didn't dislike this book, I wasn't blown away enough for a recommendation.  It is also hard to know because it took me so long to read the book that that was why I wasn't moved by the book, or because the book itself just didn't show itself. ChiChi's character is likable enough, she is silly and funny and entertaining. On the other hand, she is sad and desperate and confused. Overall, I would say that this book, had I read it more quickly, I would have probably enjoyed it more, but I doubt it would have ever been a 10 out of 10.

Overall Rating: 
6/10

Next Review: The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult