I have always been a fan of Jodi Picoult. So far, this would be my third book, the first was My Sister's Keeper (excellent!) and second Nineteen Minutes. All of her books deal with complicated matters and has an interesting ending. With Plain Truth, she didn't dissappoint but I still prefer My Sister's Keeper. The reason I picked up the book was because I think the Amish people are interesting.
Anyway, this book deals with an unmarried young Amish girl, Katie Fisher, who gave birth and the baby was found dead in a family barn, apparently smothered to death. Ellie Hathaway acts as Katie's attorney. Since Kate is Amish and won't adjust well to the prison environment, Ellie has to stay with Katie and watch her at all times.
Ellie is reluctant to stay with the Amish. Well, who wouldn't? The Amish do not depend on electricity, phones, tvs, cars and they're very strong on family and religion.
The book was interesting to me because I get to see a glimpse of the Plain people and helps me understand better on the Amish way of life. Initially, I was frustrated with Katie because she keeps denying that she had a baby while all medical evidence states otherwise. I could almost feel Ellie's frustration when Katie woke up in the middle of the night complaining that her breasts hurt and milk was coming out of her breasts. Ellie says that this is proof that Katie just gave birth but Katie is adamant and says she did not have a baby and this was happening because her heart was full. I was completely at a loss for words and I felt like shaking Katie and saying, "You. Had. A. Baby. Stop lying because how is Ellie going to defend you if you're not telling her anything?"
But as the story went on, I began to understand Katie. I felt sorry for her because she obviously had no free will. Her dad is very strict and really follows the Amish way of life. Katie has an older brother, Jacob, who left the family to continue on his studies (oh yeah,the Amish people study until 8th grade and they leave school. it's their way of life and anyone who continues usually must leave the faith). They have a younger sister Hannah, but she died young in a ice-skating incident. So, you could say Katie is the only one in the family since Jacob never visits them due to Katie's dad forbidding him to come. Sarah, Katie's mother, loves her children very much and keeps in contact with Jacob by sending Katie to visit him for a few time. Whilst visiting Jacob, Katie falls in love with Adam, who's a few years older than her own brother. They bonded and Adam cared about her, and in the heat of a moment, they had sex.
But Katie misinterpret Adam's words and thinks Adam doesn't really care about her and tells him to go away. Katie goes on with her life, feeding the chickens and etc until one day, she realizes she was pregnant when she attempts to bend down. Obviously, she has to keep it a secret because her dad will surely go ballistic. But Katie intended to keep the baby but after she gave birth, she fell asleep in exhaustion but before that she prayed, to make 'this' go away. And when she woke up, the baby was gone and Katie thinks God has answered her prayers. Which sounds pretty stupid to me for someone to think this way.
Ellie is very skilled and I always liked the lawyers twisting around words in the court. That part was interesting because they really have to know what they're saying and they have to convince that what you're saying is true. Katie's lover, Adam came for the trial. It is evident that he loves her very much. I thought it was very sweet and I felt sad when Adam went to the baby's grave. I knew if he had known Katie was pregnant, he would have taken responsibility but due to their lifestyles being worlds apart, it is not possible because Katie, as much as she loves Adam, she doesn't really want to leave her family and Adam doesn't want to join the Amish faith. In the Amish world, Katie had a fiancee, Samuel, who's willing to do anything for her. But, she does not love him. Oh, the tragic love story.
In the end, we found out the the baby would have died anyway because he had acquired some sort of disease from Katie and the baby was premature too. Still, there was some fabric stuffed in his mouth, and at the very last page, we find out that Sarah, Katie's mother had killed the baby. All along, I suspected Aaron, Katie's dad because he's all about the Amish way of life. But to think of it, Sarah killing the baby, it fits because Sarah would have known that Katie was pregnant and as she told Ellie, she didn't want to lose Katie after losing Jacob, Hannah and the other babies that died during her miscarriages.
Explosive ending, no? Good book. =)
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