Review by Maggie Perkovic October 2008
I love this author. Her books are full of deep research on her chosen subject, which vary from court law to medical trauma. In this book she refers to a project in Vermont in the 1920's & 1930's where a bunch of very progressive thinkers, professors, doctors, lawyers et al who decided that to preserve the 'rural' charm they needed to get rid of the people who didnt fit the bill, namely those who werent white, protestant yankees. That meant the Abenaki Indians, French Canadians and other idigent folk.
Eventually a law was passed allowing doctors to sterilize these individuals, only on a voluntary basis and based on their family records of prison, mental institutions and poorhouses. To think this was allowed only seventy years ago seems incredible.
However, the book is really a ghost story where the Abenaki Indians are fighting a planned development on their ancient burial grounds. Into this mix arrives Ross who seeks a way to join his fiance who died in a car crash, in which he survived and by seeking out ghosts hopes to find a way to join her in the after life.
His sister whose son has the illness 'Xeroderma Pigmentosum' which means he cannot ever live a normal life, go to school or even face the daylight and may never grow to adulthood having already been exposed to some light in babyhood. There is also Meredith whose young daughter Lucy is terrified of the strange voices and forms which inhibit her world. Her mother is a scientist and insists it is all in her imagination but as very strange things are happening all across the ancient burial grounds Lucy knows it is really happening. Police chief Eli and his bloodhound are engaged to find out the truth and the story is both exciting and tragic.
You can never tell how Jodie Picoults stories will end, this is no different!!!
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