Songs of the Humpback Whale
On sale
25th June 2009
Price: £8.99
‘Never one to shy away from moral and ethical dilemmas . . . Picoult gives her readers all the virtuosic plotting, cliffhangers and twists they’ve come to expect’
Jane had always lived in somebody’s shadow. Escaping a childhood of abuse by marrying oceanographer Oliver Jones, she finds herself taking second place to his increasingly successful career.
However, when her daughter Rebecca is similarly treated, Jane’s dramatic stand takes them all by surprise. Jane and Rebecca set out to drive across America to the sanctuary of the New England apple orchard where Jane’s brother Joley works. Oliver, used to tracking male humpback whales across vast oceans, now has the task of tracking his wife across a continent.
To do so he must learn to see the world – and even himself – through her eyes…
Jane had always lived in somebody’s shadow. Escaping a childhood of abuse by marrying oceanographer Oliver Jones, she finds herself taking second place to his increasingly successful career.
However, when her daughter Rebecca is similarly treated, Jane’s dramatic stand takes them all by surprise. Jane and Rebecca set out to drive across America to the sanctuary of the New England apple orchard where Jane’s brother Joley works. Oliver, used to tracking male humpback whales across vast oceans, now has the task of tracking his wife across a continent.
To do so he must learn to see the world – and even himself – through her eyes…
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Reviews
Picoult displays near perfect pitch . . . ingeniously structured and reminiscent of early Anne Tyler
Charming and poignant, Picoult's novel is even better after a second reading
This powerful and affecting novel demonstrates that there are as many truths to a story as there are people to tell it
This powerful and affecting novel demonstrates that there are as many truths to a story as there are people to tell it
Jodi Picoult's novels often focus on lives turned upside down by some terrible event, and it's her way with the small emotional detail that makes them so rewarding
The striking thing is Picoult's confidence. She takes a controversial topic and gallops with it, leaving the reader breathless and, crucially, better informed and full of questions.
Picoult trades on gripping, emotive plots hinged upon gnarly ethical dilemmas . . . Picoult's pitch and pace are masterly and hardly conducive to a good night's sleep.