Jodi Picoult is renowned for her many (seventeen!) powerful, emotional novels, including latest book House Rules and of course, My Sister's Keeper, which was recently adapted for the big screen starring Cameron Diaz. The Telegraph this week posted an interesting article about Jodi and her books and of course, House Rules. Here's a snippet:
Reviews of her books on Amazon - she rarely gets attention on literary pages - reveal a loyal following. Readers enjoy the way she reflects multiple points of view, underlining how little we really understand one another. Book clubs love her novels because there's always something to discuss. But there's a common criticism. Her stories can seem formulaic: moral dilemma, several viewpoints, death, court case, twist.
"I can't stand that accusation," she says. "I defy you to find another writer who has written about as many subjects and taken you on as many journeys as I have. John Grisham doesn't get complaints because his books are about the legal system. Maybe it's because I'm a girl."
Picoult, 43, doesn't do self-deprecating. She's an all-American achiever who goes for a 5.30am run and used to write in 15-minute bursts when her three children, now teenagers, were small. I already feel I've met the whole family because pictures of her with them - some gloriously unflattering - are posted on her website, giving the lie to the glamorous publicity shots of Picoult in her slimmer days.
"What would you do?" readers are asked on her book covers to highlight a moral dilemma. But Picoult doesn't appear to have had to agonise over whether it is worth sacrificing privacy and time at home in order to be a successful author. She is tireless, driven, and seems to thrive on it. Every day she answers hundreds of emails, personally.
Click here to read the full article.
