A Spark of Light - Thorndike Press Large Print Basic Edition | Inspirational Novel for Book Clubs & Relaxing Evenings

If you are looking for a good mystery, you won’t find it here. While the book’s format, telling the story in reverse-chronological order, gives away what other plots would keep hidden for many, many pages, nevertheless kept me riveted, I had what seemed to be meant as the biggest enigma pegged about 10% in. Now, as a character study and an exploration of an issue, Jodi Picoult’s A Spark of Light is brilliant. A gunman invades Mississippi’s only abortion clinic, wounds and kills several people, and takes the rest hostage. Police are quick to respond, but things quickly become complicated when the lead hostage negotiator learns his only daughter is among the hostages. The story is told through the eyes of several people, including the gunman, the hostage negotiator, the clinic’s only doctor, a nurse, and several more hostages. As mentioned, the story goes back in time from there, showing readers how everyone came to be involved in these events. And, while twist endings are not to be expected, there are still surprises within these pages. Any Picoult fan will see where she shines, and shines for far longer than just a spark of light. It is her characters and how complete a world she creates for each of them. We have Izzy, the nurse who comes from poverty and might now be set for life but isn’t sure that is what she wants. There’s Wren, who shares a love for the stars and sky with her police officer father, a passion masterfully woven into the overall narrative. We learn about the clinic’s physician, Dr. Louie Ward, and his complicated motives for pursuing this line of work. And, we hear from the gunman, whom Picoult portrays as more than a killer driven by rage and extremist beliefs. This is just a peak at the amazing cast of narrators brought together by chance to share these events with us readers. And, I’d be remiss to spare Jodi Picoult the praise owed to her for again tackling a dividing issue, abortion, and giving us such a complete picture. Both pro-life and pro-choice advocates have a voice in this plot, more than one, in fact, and many more valid labels are given to these thoughts and beliefs. My favorite part was a conversation held between one of the main characters and a supporting character towards the end of the book, somewhere around the last 10 pages. I won’t say anything to spoil the impact except to call the statements made and consequent reactions profound. Is the book perfect? No. After the cliffhanger before we started going back in time, I was hoping for something more dramatic. This ending was wrapped up a little too perfectly and there was more “telling” than “showing”, a sin of fiction writing I am still learning to keep from committing. And, there are a few plot threads not quite wrapped up. I won’t share which and will instead express my hope that Picoult might revisit these characters and their stories in a future novel. For fans of Jodi Picoult, this is a must-read … definitely in my Top 5 of her works. For newcomers to Picoult’s library, I’d say take a chance and crack this book open. I hope you’ll pursue more titles afterwards. Enjoy.