My Sister's Keeper (novel)

Summary

The story takes place in the fictional town of Upper Darby, Rhode Island in 2004. Anna Fitzgerald's older sister, Kate, suffers from acute promyelocytic leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer. Anna was born as a savior sister specifically so she could save Kate's life. At first it is successful, but the cancer continues to relapse throughout Kate's life.

Anna is usually willing to donate whatever Kate needs, but when she turns 13, she is told that she will have to donate one of her kidneys due to Kate's kidney failure. The surgery required for both Kate and Anna would be major; it is not guaranteed to work, as the stress of the operation may kill Kate anyway, and the loss of a kidney could have a serious impact on Anna's life. Anna petitions for medical emancipation with the help of lawyer Campbell Alexander, so that she will be able to make her own decisions regarding her medical treatment and the donation of her kidney. This is done on the advice of Julia Romano, the court-appointed guardian ad litem whose job it is to decide what would be best for Anna. Julia was once romantically involved with Campbell when they went to university together, but Campbell broke her heart when he left her. Unbeknownst to Julia, Campbell left her because he discovered he had epilepsy and thought she deserved better.

Meanwhile, Anna's older brother Jesse, who has spent most of his life being ignored in favor of ill Kate or donor Anna, spends most of his time setting fire to abandoned buildings with homemade explosives and using illegal drugs. He is a self-confessed juvenile delinquent, which leads to their father Brian eventually confronting Jesse for his behavior.

During the trial, it is revealed that Kate originally asked Anna to sue for emancipation because Kate did not want Anna to have to donate her kidney now that Kate has been ready to die, but their mom Sara can't seem to understand that, and because Kate believes she will die anyway. The judge rules in Anna's favor, and grants Campbell a medical power of attorney. However, as Campbell drives her home after the trial, their car is hit by a pick-up. Brian, the on-call firefighter who arrives at the scene, retrieves an unconscious and severely injured Anna from the wreckage of the crushed car. She goes into cardiac arrest and is revived. Both her and Campbell are rushed to the hospital. At the hospital, the doctor informs Sara and Brian that Anna is brain-dead and asks them if they have considered organ donation. An injured Campbell steps in and declares that he has the power of attorney and that "there is a girl upstairs who needs that kidney." Kate is prepared for surgery, and Anna's kidney is successfully transplanted. Anna's life-machines are then shut off by her family. Kate survives the surgery and remains in remission. Jesse has reformed and graduates from the police academy despite his criminal record.

Publication history

Picoult, Jodi. My Sister's Keeper. Atria Books: New York, 2004. ISBN 9781416549178. ISBN 141654917X.

Critical reception

In review for The Washington Post, Katherine Arie described some of the characters as unconvincing, such as Brian, who is "too good to be true", Jesse, "a poster child for self-destructive behavior", and Kate, who is "as weak and wispy on the page as she's supposed to be in life", but ultimately called the book "a thrill to read".

In 2009 the American Library Association (ALA) and the office for Intellectual Freedom named My Sister's Keeper the seventh out of ten most frequently challenged books in the US. Schools and libraries attempted to ban the book for the following reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexual Explicitly, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuitability to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence.

Adaptations

New Line Cinema adapted My Sister's Keeper into a feature film, which was directed by Nick Cassavetes and released on June 26, 2009. It starred Cameron Diaz as Sara and Alec Baldwin as Campbell. Kate and Anna were played respectively by Sofia Vassilieva and Abigail Breslin.

The film, with an alternate ending and more emphasis on certain subplots while entirely eliminating others, has significant differences from the novel.

Trivia

The novel's title derives from the biblical tale of brothers Cain and Abel. After slaying his sibling, Cain is asked by God of his brother's whereabouts and replies, "I know not: am I my brother's keeper?"