A Spark of Light
On sale
30th October 2018
Price: £16.99
THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘A writer the world needs to be reading right now’ The Independent
‘An apposite and nuanced novel… Picoult writes about an emotive, controversial issue with unflinching precision.’ Red
‘A very special novel about a very difficult subject.’ Grazia
‘Her intelligent, meticulously researched novels explore ethical dilemmas through heartrending, headline-grabbing scenarios’ The Sunday Times
The Center for women’s reproductive health offers a last chance at hope – but nobody ends up there by choice.
Its very existence is controversial, and to the demonstrators who barricade the building every day, the service it offers is no different from legalised murder.
Now life and death decisions are being made horrifyingly real: a lone protester with a gun has taken the staff, patients and visitors hostage.
Starting at the tensest moment in the negotiations for their release, A Spark of Light unravels backwards, revealing hour by urgent hour what brought each of these people – the gunman, the negotiator, the doctors, nurses and women who have come to them for treatment – to this point.
And certainties unwind as truths and secrets are peeled away, revealing the complexity of balancing the right to life with the right to choose.
‘A writer the world needs to be reading right now’ The Independent
‘An apposite and nuanced novel… Picoult writes about an emotive, controversial issue with unflinching precision.’ Red
‘A very special novel about a very difficult subject.’ Grazia
‘Her intelligent, meticulously researched novels explore ethical dilemmas through heartrending, headline-grabbing scenarios’ The Sunday Times
The Center for women’s reproductive health offers a last chance at hope – but nobody ends up there by choice.
Its very existence is controversial, and to the demonstrators who barricade the building every day, the service it offers is no different from legalised murder.
Now life and death decisions are being made horrifyingly real: a lone protester with a gun has taken the staff, patients and visitors hostage.
Starting at the tensest moment in the negotiations for their release, A Spark of Light unravels backwards, revealing hour by urgent hour what brought each of these people – the gunman, the negotiator, the doctors, nurses and women who have come to them for treatment – to this point.
And certainties unwind as truths and secrets are peeled away, revealing the complexity of balancing the right to life with the right to choose.
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Reviews
A second after I read the last page I turned back to the start and read the whole thing again... I loved everything about it: the structure, the characters, the prose... all wonderful.
An urgent, shocking and human story.
It is hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes
Expertly written... This topical novel presents both sides of the ever-present abortion debate in the form of a harrowing, thought-provoking story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page
An apposite and nuanced novel... Picoult writes about an emotive, controversial issue with unflinching precision
Jodi Picoult's novels are always thought-provoking and her new one, A Spark of Light, addresses abortion rights.
Full of topical issues, this is a great book club read
A special, important and powerful read. Jodi Picoult doesn't play safe - she examines, and pokes and brutally honestly tells us how it really is, and she always stays professional.
A book that will no doubt inspire debate. Jodi has done a marvellous job of writing a novel fraught with tension and difficult situations. Her writing shows that she has done an incredible amount of research... It is a hard hitting novel and difficult topics have been handed incredibly well.
Picoult's novels are meticulously researched and she never shies away from controversial material. Told in reverse chronological order, each character's story draws the reader in
A timely, powerful and emotive novel
With an intricate backward-weaving structure, a host of compelling voices and her captivating tone, this is a very special novel about a very difficult subject
She has delivered a tough yet compassionate read that is guaranteed to spark debate
...this emotionally charged and thought-provoking drama cements Picoult's status as one of the most fearless novelists writing today. A Spark of Light is not only topical, unflinching and utterly compelling, it's also an important read.
A writer the world needs to be reading right now
A thought-provoking read that explores the intertwined fates of a group of very human characters
The tense novel tackles two of the biggest issues facing America today: abortion and gun control and unravels what bought these people to this point
Like a modern Mrs Gaskell or a contemporary such as John Grisham, her intelligent, meticulously researched novels explore ethical dilemmas through heartrending, headline-grabbing scenarios
A truly powerful, thought-provoking - and timely - read
Meticulously researched... The reverse narrative works exceptionally well
A matchless talent for hitting emotional notes
The queen of issue-based fiction
Picoult creates a gripping novel that explores the tough decisions people face very day
More seat-edge drama from the doyenne of hot-topic lit
Tackles a divisive issue with incredible sensitivity
The incredible thing about this book is the level of research. She interviewed 151 women who'd had an abortion
Incredibly compelling and page turning
Despite challenging subject matter and a confusing structure, this novel is sure to spark debate.
A Spark of Light, by one of our favourites, Jodi Picoult, will get you thinking and really stay with you.
Timely, balanced and certain to inspire debate, A Spark of Light is Picoult at her fearless best.