I have read many books by Jodi Picoult. Her writing style captivates my attention and sends me reeling into her fictional stories. One of my personal favorite is Nineteen Minutes – in fact, I have recently re-read it. It was time, though, to discover a new Jodi Picoult book. I saw House Rules on the “New” rack at the library and rushed to borrow it.
Right away, the book held my attention, and I didn’t want to set it down. Jacob is a teenage boy with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism. He displays many Asperger’s behaviors – he avoids eye contact, he shows a lack of emotion, he is unable to read social cues, and he must follow a strict routine in order to avoid meltdowns. His current passion is crime scenes, and it is not unusual for him to create a fake crime scene at his home for his mother to solve. It broke my heart reading about his struggles – he wants to fit in, but he can’t just force his brain to learn social cues. He is picked on by other kids at school, but has finally found a friend in his social tutor, Jess.
When Jess goes missing, evidence start to point to Jacob. Not long after she goes missing, her body is found, and the evidence there further points to Jacob’s guilt. The simple fact that Jacob’s interest is in crime does not help his case. During the rest of the book, you are simply trying to determine whether Jacob is indeed guilty of the alleged crime.
Although this book was touching, I found myself feeling slightly bored near the ending. Maybe that was due to the fact that there was a substantial amount of court proceedings taking place, or maybe it was because I figured out the true ending before the conclusion. Either way, it would have been nice if House Rules kept me pulled in to the very end.
Despite the slow and predictable ending, I still enjoyed Jodi Picoult’s book and will continue to read her work. You can find Jodi Picoult’s House Rules in hardcover on the Barnes and Noble website for $17.55. Jodi Picoult’s wide variety of other work is also available.
