I came across this book in an exhibition and since I was going berserk, splurging my wallet out; I ended up buying it along with Murakamis, Browns, Grishams and a hell lot more. (Not complaining though cause this is more satisfying than running to shops trying outfits endlessly and not finding a single one to soothe your soul).
Anyways back to the topic. The story is nice. But I have read better stories by Picoult. The mentioned religion, gospels were balderdash for me though it plays a central role in the plot (I am not an atheist; but rather a spiritualist as one character mentions it once. And as the book suggests - you follow the religion that your parents follow so I literally have very little knowledge related to things being brought to light in this book again and again). But I believe this book was not about religion and creating boundaries but rather about finding yourself in your beliefs and breaking the barrier of stereotypes. So all is well.
Isaiah Matthew Bourne AKA Shay Bourne, who had a juvie record, is caught red-handed killing Police officer Kurt Nealon and his step daughter Elizabeth Nealon. June Nealon (wife of Kurt) who lost her first husband in an accident is heavily pregnant and devastated. The trials go on And Shay is convicted of two counts capital murder. After much heated discussion, the jury finally decides on death penalty. Michael Wright becomes the last juror to agree.
After 11 years Bourne is transferred to I-tier at the Concord state prison. Many 'hard to explain with logic' things happen around shay and his fellow mates believes it to be a miracle and him to be a messiah. Shay confesses to one of his fellow prisoner about his desire to donate his heart to a little girl after his death to make amends. The girl is non other than Claire Nealon, June's daughter, who is in desperate need of a heart transplant. He turns out to be a perfect match but his lawyer, Maggie Bloom, has a mountain to climb. She needs to go against all the odds with the jury to suspend the death penalty by lethal injection but opt for hanging so that Shay's heart will be viable for donation.
Michael Wright who is now father Michael from St Catherine becomes Shay's legal adviser because his conscience didn't support killing someone as a capital punishment. He opts for helping Shay out to donate his heart, so both of them can find redemption. He falls for Shay's recurrent quotation from Gnostic gospels and considers it as his religious foundation to defend his organ donation desire in the court.
June is in moral dilemma. She is caught between the devil and the sea. To see her only alive daughter die or take the heart of a criminal who killed her husband and daughter.
But as always there is a twist in the story that makes you think how can someone be so selfless? Is what you see and what you believe - different things? How do you let go? How do you forgive?
Not a bad plot but I have read better books by Picoult. Not a bad read either but the description part made me halt the book several times and make a fresh start. If you are too aware of your religion and don't want to mess the morals with your brains just avoid it. But if you do, please keep an open mind. Or just read the storyteller, nineteen minutes or My sister's keeper by the same writer instead.
Quotes
- I don't belong to religion. Religion's the reason the world's falling apart- Did you see that guy carted out of here? That's what religion does. It points a finger. It causes wars. It breaks apart countries. It's a petridish for stereotypes to grow in. Religion's not about being holy. Just holier-than-thou.
- If you wrong forth what is within you, what is within you will save you. If you don't bring forth what is within you, what is within you will destroy you.
- Did you ever notice how sometimes it's mirror, and sometimes it's glass? There's light inside a man of light. It can light up the whole world.
- Words are like nets- we hope they'll cover what we mean, but we know they can't possibly hold that much joy, or grief or wonder.
- I think finding god is like seeing a ghost - you can be skeptic until you come face-to-face with what you said doesn't exist.
- Family's not a thing, it's a place where all the memories get kept.
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