The Jodi Picoult Collection #4 Read online

  A: When I write a book in multiple narratives, there are always one or two that are easier than others. In Change of Heart, Maggie was by far the most fun to write—she has a terrific, easy, funny voice. June was the most painful, and the one that caught me most unawares. When I as a writer thought I knew how I felt about capital punishment, I’d write one of June’s sections and flip-flop. Lucius was enjoyable, too, because he’s not your typical prisoner, and because he’s an instrument through which we get to hear and see Shay. Michael was the hardest for me—probably because he was the least openminded at first!

  Q: Why did you decide not to write from Shay’s point of view?

  A: Maggie, Michael, Lucius, and June correspond with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Shay, as the messianic character, does not have his own voice in a “gospel”—and neither does Jesus in the New Testament.

  Q: A lot of work and research has been done recently on “restorative justice,” a mutual healing process where victims and offenders meet face-to-face. Do you think that this is a credible way of dealing with serious criminals?

  A: I think in many cases, what a victim wants more than anything is to hear that the perpetrator is sorry. And also, in many cases, the perpetrator needs to be able to say that to the victim and his or her family in order to move on. It certainly won’t work in all situations—as you see in Change of Heart—but I wish it was more prevalent in prison settings. To me, a successful restorative justice meeting is a better indicator of a change of heart for an inmate, and fosters more healing, than a life sentence where no reconciliation ever occurs.

  Q: What’s next for you?

  A: Handle with Care, which is about a wrongful birth suit. These cases are pretty fascinating—it involves a parent suing her OB for not being told earlier that a child was going to be severely impaired. Most parents who sue love their kids very much . . . but want to give them the best lives possible, which is very expensive given the level of physical impairment, so they sue. However, it means getting up in front of a jury and saying that if you’d known your child was going to be this handicapped, you would never have had the baby. Not only is that emotionally devastating, but it usually creates a lawsuit that circles back to questions of abortion rights, and who gets to decide what sort of life is or isn’t worth living. At what point should an OB counsel termination? Should a parent have the right to make that choice? How handicapped is too handicapped? As you can see, there are lots of thorny moral and ethical questions in this one—which is why I love it! In Handle with Care the stakes are a bit higher, because the OB—Piper Reece—and the mom—Charlotte O’Keefe—are best friends . . . until Charlotte’s daughter is born with osteogenesis imperfecta type III, a very severe form of brittle bone disease. These are children who, literally, will have hundreds of breaks over the course of a lifetime; you can lift up your infant and break her back; she can roll over and break her ribs. Thematically, the book explores the things that break apart in times of stress: bones, friendships, families.

  TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB

  1. Go to deathpenaltyinfo.org/state to see what your state laws are regarding capital punishment. Discuss the statistics you find there.

  2. You can write letters to inmates on death row by contacting Death Row Support Project, PO Box 600, Liberty Mills, IN 46946.

  3. Save the money you’d normally spend on wine or food at your next book club meeting. Instead, help sick kids like Claire by donating to a children’s hospital or research fund.

  4. Watch a video and listen to Jodi Picoult talk about Change of Heart at www.jodipicoult.com/heartvideo.

  A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2008 by Jodi Picoult

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition November 2008

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  Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Designed by Jaime Putorti

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-9674-2

  ISBN-10: 0-7434-9674-4

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-9675-9 (pbk)

  ISBN-10: 0-7434-9675-2 (pbk)

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-6560-4 (eBook)

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Part I

  Amelia

  Sean

  Charlotte

  Sean

  Marin

  Piper

  Charlotte

  Part II

  Charlotte

  Piper

  Amelia

  Marin

  Sean

  Charlotte

  Sean

  Amelia

  Marin

  Piper

  Sean

  Amelia

  Piper

  Charlotte

  Marin

  Amelia

  Charlotte

  Amelia

  Part III

  Charlotte

  Sean

  Marin

  Sean

  Amelia

  Piper

  Marin

  Charlotte

  Sean

  Amelia

  Charlotte

  Marin

  Sean

  Amelia

  Charlotte

  Amelia

  Piper

  Marin

  Charlotte

  Part IV

  Marin

  Charlotte

  Piper

  Marin

  Sean

  Charlotte

  Amelia

  Sean

  Marin

  Piper

  Charlotte

  Amelia

  Sean

  Charlotte

  Amelia

  Charlotte

  Amelia

  Piper

  Sean

  Amelia

  Charlotte

  Piper

  Charlotte

  Marin

  Amelia

  Sean

  Amelia

  Marin

  Amelia

  Charlotte

  Piper

  Charlotte

  Willow

  Author’s Note

  A Readers Club Guide

  For Marjorie Rose,

  Who makes flowers bloom onstage,

  Provides me with goss half a world away,

  And knows you’re never fully dressed without a green bag.

  BFFAA

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  It may be a cliché to say I didn’t do this alone, but it’s also true. First and foremost, I want to thank the parents of kids with OI who invited me into their lives for a little while—and the kids themselves, who made me laugh and reminded me daily that strength is far more than a physical measure of stamina: Laurie Blaisdell and Rachel, Taryn Macliver and Matthew, Tony and Stacey Moss and Hope, Amy Phelps and Jonathan. Thanks to my crackerjack medical team: Mark Brezinski, David Toub, John Femino, E. Rebecca Pschirrer, Emily Baker, Michele Lauria, Karen George, Steve Sargent; and my legal eagles: Jen Sternick, Lise Iwon, Chris Keating, Jennifer Sargent. I owe Debbie Bernstein for sharing her story about being adopted (and letting me steal huge parts of it). I am likewise indebted to Donna Branca, for revisiting memories that are painful and for being gracious and honest when I asked questions. Thanks to Jeff Fleury, Nick Giaccone, and Frank Moran for helping me create Sean’s life as a police officer. For other expertise in their fields, thanks to Michael Goldman (who also let me use his