Marianne (Australia) (2011/04/16): Sing You Home is Jodi Picoult’s 18th novel. As always, Picoult deals with big issues. This time it is homosexuality and the attitude of society, government and, in particular, organised religion, to those who are openly homosexual. But other issues also make an appearance: as Picoult herself says, this book is about a lot of things. This novel details the single-mindedness, the almost obsessive lengths to which some people will go to overcome infertility. It asks about the fate of frozen embryos: are they people or property? Who has rights over them when a marriage breaks up? It touches on the importance of music in our lives. It examines in detail the arguments of certain religious leaders against homosexuality: the faulty logic, the quotation of scriptures out of their historical context, the convenient interpretation of biblical quotes, the power of charismatic preachers. Most of all, this novel asks the question: what is a family? As she usually does, Picoult tells the story in voices: in this case, Zoe, who has spent ten years trying to have a baby; Max, her husband, who has finally had enough, divorces her and finds God; and Vanessa, a guidance counsellor who becomes Zoe’s friend and eventually, her lover. As with all of Picoult’s novels, this one is thought-provoking and highly enjoyable: an excellent read!
