A SPARK OF LIGHT

by Jodi Picoult
 

Jodi Picoult is one of a handful of authors that whenever she publishes a new book, I have to buy it and read it right away. A Spark of Light contains a riveting concept: a crazy gunman bursts into a women’s reproductive health services clinic and starts shooting.  He kills several people and takes everyone else hostage.  The characters are what you might expect in a story like this:  a young girl who happens to be in the clinic that day getting contraception for the first time; her supportive aunt who drove her; the doctor who flies in every week to perform abortions at the only clinic in the state; and, the brave nurses who support him, as well as others.  It sounds like the recipe for a gripping book, right?  For some strange reason, however, Picoult tells the story backwards.  In other words, she starts with the shooting and then laboriously works her way back through each character’s story, trying to build suspense along the way.  I found this structure contrived and frustrating. 
 
I might have enjoyed A Spark of Light had Picoult not used this artificial framework, even if--as my daughters contend--her novels tend to be formulaic.  Because of the way she tells it, however, A Spark of Light is Not My Cup of Tea.  (Liz)